The Sky Is Falling
by Harleyhoney5314
Summary: What would happen if X2 had ended a little differently? My way? This. An old story grew wings. Fic with a soundtrack. Will be updated regularly. Logan/Marie
1. Coming Home

**Author's Chapter Notes:** Retribution, Take 2! Revisited an old story from my teenage years, after seeing Logan, and binge watching all the old X-men movies. Seems it wasn't quite through with me after all this time. I cannot for the life of me remember my old account email/password, so here I am again with a new name! Reviews make me happy, happy, happy. :) No? *sigh* Are you sure? ...Really sure? How sure are you, exactly...

Chapter song (not mine): watch?v=6w4UWzszhCo&index=59&list=PLWIQbSVrdmL9fFWXTqXBof318F5qF8H8G

"Oh no, we've lost the power."

 _This is my fault, I brought her down too hard, I-I... I didn't know what I was doin'... I've never flown a jet b'fore! Now we're all gonna die..._

"Come on, come on!"

 _Logan's gonna die._

Rogue couldn't bear the sight of him without breaking down.

 _I've got to do somethin'. But what?_

"There's power in the fuel cell..."

 _I'm useless..._

The knowledge twisted and turned, wrenching in her gut. The admission in her mind not dredged from a place beyond logic or reason. Rogue's mouth tightened when she looked up to see a familiar face.

Jean Grey stood, her face full of strength, was shining with a steadfast and serene peace. But what gave her away was the touch of regret around her eyes. A look, Rogue reflected with fearful clarity, which only uncanny awareness could bring. Resolve.

But there was no time to sit and stare. Before she could stop herself, Rogue bolted upright and in one rapid movement removed the silky fabric of Bobby's grandmother's white gloves, dropping them on either side of her standard issue X-men shit kickers.

"Rogue, where are you going? Rogue, what're-" but Bobby's words, though cool and clear as ice water, went unheard.

She swiftly closed the minimal distance between herself and the Dr. Coming to an abrupt halt, she looked up and her heart lurched wildly in her breast. The gentle shifting emerald lights in the older woman's eyes were understanding as they searched Marie's face and reached into her thoughts. The anxious look on Jean's face told her she knew. _It's not your fault, you know..._

"Forgive me." Rogue's voice was full of entreaty. Taking a deep, unsteady breath, she flattened two equally naked palms on either side of the high plains of Dr. Jean Grey's cheeks. For a moment, only warmth raced it's way up her forearms. But suddenly Rogue's body involuntarily jerked and she threw her head back, doe eyes rolling white. Her instinctive response to the red head's raw energy and power was the equivalent of bordering on apocalyptic.

For a long moment Marie felt like she was floating. But gradually her breathing began to settle down to a more even beat and she released, causing Jean to collapse and seize, violently gasping for oxygen. Across the woman's pale beautiful face a dim flush raced like a fever. An inexplicable look of withdrawal and agony carving merciless lines and twisting her features.

"What the-Jean! Rogue, what's goin' on!" Logan's voice cut through the thick fog the power trip high had left humming through her brain. His compelling eyes riveted her to the spot as Scott dove for his fiance, and dragged her body, visibly trembling with intensity, against him. Cradling her head in his lap.

 _Time to move._

She could feel Logan's sharp eyes boring into her as she turned. She would never forget a single detail of his face. The shock. The fear. The beauty in it. For her...

With one last fleeting glimpse at the only man she'd ever loved, would ever love, she tore her gaze away and in a mad frenzy sprinted down the jet's steps. Her mind and body were finally moving together.

Logan lunged for the jet's entrance with all the force his indestructible skeletal structure would allow, before having the door firmly shut in his face. Releasing a purely primal howl of rage he grew claws and rammed the thing, metal on metal. No cigar.

"Son of a bitch! MARIE! Get your ass back here!"

Cyclops watched from his position on the floor as Logan's nostrils flared with fury. But what happened next made his heart come to a shuddering halt, as pity slapped him full on in the face for the Wolverine.

When the man spoke again, his voice was tender, almost a murmur.

"...Please?"

There was a faint tremor in his voice, as if some emotion had touched him, managing no more than a horse whisper.

Recovering, Logan reached one strong muscled around out and grabbed Kurt by the collar, feral teeth bared and hostile. His tone hardened ruthlessly.

"You. Get her. Now!"

"I-I... I can't. She's not letting me!" a loud CRACK could be heard as the dam began to give way to the monstrosity of water. Fear, stark and vivid, glittered in the transporter's amber eyes. Not in fear of the Wolverine, but of Rogue, being exposed to such peril.

"Put him down, sugar. I know what I'm doin'."

All eyes turned to Professor Xavier as he began to speak with an odd, soft, sweet southern twang. Logan glanced once more at Kurt and swiftly released him, appearing seconds later at the arm of X's chair.

"Marie?"

"You save my life, I save yours."

The students aboard the jet collectively gasped and screamed as the cement finally surrendered to the water's massive weight and it rushed towards them. A wall of destruction.

"Don't do this, kid." He was pleading now.

"Jean's too strong an asset to the X-men team. And to your heart. I couldn't do that to you, Logan..."

The jet's engine roared to life and shakily became aloft just above Rogue. And right before the tide swallowed her, Charles spoke her final words.

"I love you."


	2. Love Where It Wasn't Supposed To Be

**Author's Notes:** You'll see. *wink*

Chapter song: watch?v=Yj6V_a1-EUA&index=64&list=PLWIQbSVrdmL9fFWXTqXBof318F5qF8H8G

"Noooo!"

Logan shot upright in the bed, feathers flying, panting hard. It took him a minute to gain enough focus of his surroundings to realize where he was. The mansion. His body stung in parts where sweat dripped into freshly healing wounds, the down sticking in various places amongst the blood. He swung his massive legs around the side of the fourposter and went to wipe the sweat from a deeply furrowed brow, only to be met with a dangerously clawed hand. He sighed and retracted them with a distinct *SKINKT*

"Holy shit…" he swallowed down the lump that had lodged itself in his throat and licked his salty lips, pressing firmly between his tightly shut eyes with the heel of a large paw of a hand, trying desperately to push the memories away.

It was the same dream every night, since… He still couldn't bring himself to think the words. Much less speak them aloud when he was met with worried glances from across the room or half hearted attempts at getting him to talk about... that day. About her...

He'd been alive for a long time. Lately, he'd been thinking maybe too long... He'd seen a hell of a lot of things, but nothing like what Marie had done for them. For him.

Logan closed the distance from himself and the floor to ceiling window in one long stride, his massive body a menacing shining silhouette in the moonlight, and pushed aside the sheer part of Xavier's fancy drapes that were drifting softly in the breeze from the air conditioning. The cool air against his naked, sweat slick and bloodied body sent a chill down his spine and made his hair stand on end. Outside, across the well manicured lawn, was a piece of marble. No freshly overturned dirt there. There had been nothing left to bury.

The funeral had been yesterday. He'd only stayed long enough to, what? Say goodbye? Get closure? She would haunt him forever. The memory of her last words ringing in his head for the rest of his excruciatingly long life. But without her here there was no real reason for him to stay. After all, he'd failed in his promise. To take care of her. Logan grabbed the bottle of bourbon on the table and took a deep burning pull, nostrils flaring, jaw clenched.

He slammed his fist against the glass, spidering the saddest view he'd ever had the misfortune of laying eyes on. Unruly head hung low, Logan whispered into the dark, "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry..."

But all those he spoke to were dead.


	3. Once Upon a Different Life

Song (I own nothin'): watch?v=mqiH0ZSkM9I&list=PLWIQbSVrdmL_Vbo6iCUsq5QaQjGdN4tJO&index=3

The morning came too slow. Beautiful. Inappropriately so, Logan thought. It should be storming. It would match his mood. He slung his old army duffel bag over his shoulder, flinching a little at the mess he was leaving behind him. Literally. Xavier would understand. Too well. That was another reason Logan was taking off. He didn't want to face it. See the knowing look in the old man's crystal blue eyes that could see straight through a person. See things Logan didn't even know about himself. Things he didn't want to know anymore. After all, that was why...

Logan shut the door and made his way through the deserted halls. Hearing her laugh echoing softly around him.

"Logan..."

He blinked. For a moment he thought he saw a flash of mahogany and silver hair turning around the corner ahead. His heart skipped a beat and he sped up, long powerful legs racing to catch up. Lines of concentration deep along his brows and under his eyes.

"Marie?"

There was nothing but dust motes floating in the golden early morning rays above the gleaming hardwood floor, tickling his nose. And silence. Mocking him. His lip curled over sharp white teeth and he shook his head, rolling his shoulders. Sinew straining. He was grateful it was still too early for the students or staff to be awake. He couldn't stand the pitying looks. And knowing that no matter how hard he searched, he would never find her in these halls among them again. Besides, it was better this way. Goodbyes weren't really his style.

A few short moments later, the door to the mansion's enormous garage scanned his hand print and opened to admit him with a soft whoosh. He glanced around until he spotted it in far the eastern corner. Scott's Harley. Logan reached out and yanked the keys off the hook with a jingle and got to strapping down his meager belongings to the back. His eyes clouded with visions of the past... Of how she'd once sat there while they rode through the mountains, clinging to him, despite her deadly skin. All that was between them had been his leather jacket.

 _She'd flashed that mischievous grin at him in the rear view mirror like heat lightning. All traces of her earlier melancholy over the fact that there was no one around who knew her well enough to know it was her 18th birthday gone, and she hollered above the wind,_

 _"Faster, Logan!" He quirked an already ridiculously arched eyebrow in question, the beginnings of a smile tipping the corners of his mouth._

 _"Faster?"_

 _She beamed back in response._

 _"You sure you're ready?"_

 _Though she didn't answer, her face spoke for her. An intense but secret expression. His chuckle was low and throaty. She wasn't sure which rumble she liked better. The one between her legs or the feel of Logan's mirth reverberating through her chest as she teased herself with his closeness. The warm feel of the worn leather covering the hard lines of his hips and washboard abs beneath her curious fingertips. Kept still only by sheer willpower. One she'd thought she'd perfected. The sweet smell of his cigars and pine trees drowning her senses. She'd never felt so... safe. Or so alive._

 _"Hang on!"_

 _Logan threw the switch into hyper speed. Marie squeaked, and strained to pull herself against the sheer G-force to latch herself even more closer on to Logan (if that was possible), ducking her head against the broad expanse of his back. Logan's laugh boomed out around her._

 _Once the initial terror had worn off, she slowly felt herself relax. Marie let her head fall back, closed her eyes and let the sun kiss her delicate features, her hair a radiant banner in the wind, and slowly spread her arms like wings._

 _Logan couldn't stop himself from stealing glances at her every time he thought he could get away with it without her noticing. He didn't think he'd ever seen anything so damn beautiful. And that scared the shit out of him._

 _When they'd finally stopped, she'd bounced off the back of the bike, practically dripping sunlight in every direction. It was contagious. Logan couldn't help it, he grinned wolfishley back at her._

 _Her voice was breathless. "I haven't been that close to anyone for so long since I put that boy in a coma. I've never felt so free!" her musical laugh lilted through the air and she flung her arms our once more and spun around in a circle, hear hair a brilliant fan behind her. Logan couldn't take his eyes off of her. This time, she noticed. She stopped mid spin._

 _"Sorry..." she giggled, gently touching her lips with a delicate, but deadly, hand._

 _His heart sped up as her deep dark eyes that said so much locked on his searching hazel ones. Her smile faded a little when he looked at her, her lips parted in slight surprise. The flush on her pale cheeks was like the flush of sunset on snow. Soft tendrils of windblown hair framing her face. Gently, with a big square hand, he pushed a long stray silver lock out of her line of vision, not ready to break the contact. For an instant a wistful sadness stole into his expression._

 _His instincts were at war, caught somewhere between run like hell or don't he dare move. The corner of that unbelievable wet, full mouth twitched and she pulled her pouty bottom lip between her teeth. The door to the dive he'd brought her to slammed in the distance, and he took the smallest step back. The spell broken. Taking the hint, she dipped her head, the fringe of her lashes casting shadows on her cheeks and headed towards the entrance._

 _Logan let out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding, dangerously straddling the line between relief and regret as he watched her sashay away. She surprised him and turned on her heel, kicking up dust and gravel, yet still graceful as a dancer and said,_

 _"Thanks, Logan. Really."_

 _ **Legal! She was legal.**_ _The Wolverine piped up._

 _ **Shut up.**_ _What little reason Logan had argued. Lethal was more like it._

 _ **We heal.**_

 _"Right. Drink."_

Logan's hand slipped on the strap he'd been tightening.

"Shit." his hands were shaking. He couldn't help it. He picked up the first thing he could reach, which happened to be a crescent wrench, and threw it as hard as he could into the field across the drive.

"AAAGGGHHH!" He felt the all too familiar rip in his knuckles as his claws made an appearance, catching the light, his breath rough.

It didn't feel as good as he'd hoped it would. There was no satisfying crash, shatter, or things to break in a field. Just a flying wrench. Kids around here had seen weirder.

After taking a second to cage the animal he figured he should hit the road before the Professor started charging him for the destruction he was causing. Or would inevitably cause. Or worse. Make him repay his debt via indentured servitude at Mutant High, or something equally ridiculous. Like **he** should be allowed to mold young minds...

Marie would've gotten a kick out of that.

Logan pushed up the kickstand with the toe of his black dingo boot, grabbed the handle bars and retracted his claws.

As he rounded the paved drive he heard Charles' voice echoing through the grounds.

"Where will you go?"

He didn't have to turn around to know the man looked down on him from above, gazing on him from the sizable window in the mansion's foyer, and hadn't actually spoken at all. Logan keenly aware of his scrutiny paused, eyes darting over his shoulder, his lips tightening around an unlit Cuban. He didn't have to respond. They both knew it didn't matter. So long as it was anywhere but here.

Logan straddled the motorcycle, placed the key in the ignition and revved the engine, kicking it into gear with brute force. _Running again._

Storm stepped out onto the wide stone balcony, her brown eyes turning milky and thunder rang out in the distance like a gunshot. Dark clouds swallowed the sun.

 _That's more like it,_ Logan thought.


	4. Kingdom Fall

Chapter song (Yep, you guessed it. Still not mine.): watch?v=0-_Ggk0ZmX0

"Professor, you're just going to let him go?" Jean Grey asked quietly as she placed a hand on Charles' shoulder from behind.

Xavier stared straight ahead and covered her long sensitive fingers with his own rough hand, sighing. His voice sounded tired.

"I think there are very few things in this life that could keep Logan if he chose not to stay."

Jean tensed. Meeting his sparkling blue eyes, realization hitting her at the underlying meaning in his tone. She raised her eyes and watched as Logan disappeared through the trees, her features deceptively calm. An unwelcome heaviness weighing in her chest. The professor didn't have to read her thoughts, he just patted her delicate wrist gently and turned his chair in the opposite direction, rolling towards a new day. A dark new day.

Jean wrapped her arms around herself, jumping at the sudden earsplitting shout below, lightning striking in the distance.

"DAMNIT, LOGAN!"

Jean closed her eyes and shook her head softly, vivid red hair swinging loose about her proud shoulders. So... Scott knew Logan was gone, too. He was always the last to know.


	5. Wreck It All

Song: watch?v=0-7IHOXkiV8&index=4&list=PLWIQbSVrdmL_Vbo6iCUsq5QaQjGdN4tJO

Logan laced his fingers through the chain link fencing, sensing movement behind him, he kept still, body coiled with predatory tension. He bit down on his cigar as a heavy, swift, steel toed kick landed to his kidney. Logan went down to one knee, coughing. He spit his mangled cigar out onto the bloodied concrete floor and swiped with the back of his sweat slick, scarred knuckles, trying to remove the loose tobacco from his bruised busted lip.

"That was my last cigar." he growled, his jaw clenched, eyes narrowed. His mouth twisted in a threat.

"Sorry princess." The faceless brute laughed, deep, raspy, and a little crazy.

Logan rose from the floor. He smiled, but it didn't reach his eyes. He liked it when he landed a crazy one. The Wolverine reached out a long, well muscled arm, curling his fingers. His invitation unmistakable. The contender's questioning gaze was faintly amused as he glanced over his shoulder at his whiskey laced, drunken buddies, jeering him on from the crowd.

"Ain't you had enough, buddy?"

Logan just turned away and took one powerful step, pulling himself almost three quarters of the way up the fence and twisted, launching himself in mid air, fists clenched and let loose a savage roar. The biker wasn't smiling anymore.

Song: watch?v=aNzCDt2eidg

" _Logan, help me…"_

Logan's eyes flew open. He laid there for a moment, stinging hazel eyes darting around him. He looked down, quirking an eyebrow. A slender arm rested across his chest. It felt like a glowing chain around him in the dark. Her bright auburn hair gleamed in the shadows cast by the cheap motel bathroom lighting, with deep gold and rich red, platinum highlights framing a quiet oval face. His eyes trailed down the the gentle curve of the melting softness of her body beneath the sheets. All wrong. Her hips were too narrow and her lips too thin, her eyes… Logan couldn't even remember what color her eyes were…

He untangled himself from the nameless woman as stealthily as he could manage and stood, going to the table in the corner and grabbing the fifth of whiskey sitting there.

She stirred at the movement and he felt her eyes on him in the dark. He said nothing, just put the bottle to his lips and swallowed. She sat up slowly, her body long and trim. _Too tall_ …

"Why don't you come back to bed, baby. I can make you forget all about whatever keeps you up at night…" She twitched her way over to him, her lips going to the hollow between his neck and shoulder, barely a whisper from behind. Logan's nostrils flared and he shut his eyes, putting the bottle back to his lips.

"Get out." he rumbled, setting it down with a clink.

"What?" she said, her voice incredulous.

"I said get the _fuck_ out." he growled softly. She stepped back.

He spun and flung her denim mini skirt and what barely qualified as a top from where they sat discarded, dangling in the chair, at her bare midriff. She visibly flinched, pulling the scratchy sheet around her naked perky breasts and reached for her clothes, fiercely indignant.

"Son of a bitch, you're a bastard!" He'd been called worse. Much worse. Logan picked up the stack of money he'd won that night i the bar fight laying on the nightstand, and let it fly in her direction, money floating through the air. He stalked towards the meager bathroom facility.

"I want you gone when I get out."

"No fucking problem, asshole."

Logan slammed the door behind him. Not even a minute later, a slam answered him in return. Logan walked over to the sink, bracing himself on either side of the porcelain, knuckles white. His eyes drew upwards, taking in his reflection. Haunted. Dark. Pissed off. Broken…

He picked up the sink and felt it tear out of the wall and floor, dust and debris flying. Long, lethal claws growing, he launched it at the mirror as hard as he could.

...There went his deposit.

Ignoring the shards of glass crunching under and slicing his bare feet, Logan turned on the shower at hot as he could possibly stand without peeling his skin off and rested his forehead against the cool, wet tile, watching the blood swirl in the water down the drain. What he wouldn't give for some good old fashioned amnesia, right now. Where was a crazy mad scientist when you needed him? Oh, right. Logan had "taken care of" that.

He stayed under the spray until his nuts were in his throat. His hopes to be free of the bone deep chill that had settled in his adamantium skeleton, that had nothing to do with the cold, useless.

He shut off the water, wrapped a complimentary blinding white piece of sandpaper around the curve of his dripping ass, and stepped over the butchered vanity. Grabbing a cigar, he pulled on his clothes as quick as he could. He threw the key on the bed and didn't bother to look behind him as he left, yanking up the zipper on his worn leather jacket. Winter would be here soon, and it was a long ride to the very last place he ever wanted to go again…

 **Author's Note:** Reviews make me write faster! So as they sing in Grease... Tell me more, tell me more, tell me more! Sorry. It's the coffee... Really. ...heh. P.S. I love you all! 3


	6. Numb

Song: watch?v=BWu7JDETw_I&index=19&list=PLWIQbSVrdmL9fFWXTqXBof318F5qF8H8G

The mountain range flew by in an evergreen blur. He wasn't quite sure why he was in such a hurry to get where he was going. There was nothing but pain waiting for him. But he was being pulled, by some invisible force. Like… he was being called.

He always knew eventually that he'd go crazy. It was expected, living a life like he had. Honestly, it'd taken a lot longer than he'd thought it would. But either way, here he was, tearing down the empty road winding through the seemingly endless expanse of wilderness, the frost biting his nose, snowflakes clinging to his eyelashes. Part of him thought fondly of swerving to hit that patch of black ice just for the hell of it. Just to feel something other than the empty numbness that had settled into his chest and limbs, weighing him down more than the cold ever could. But walking the rest of the way didn't sound that appealing. Neither did hitchhiking. He might end up having to stab some random psycho, and he wasn't in the mood to have anymore bloodshed on his hands. Not today.

"Logan…"

There it was again. He closed his eyes and gripped the handle bars tighter, just barely reining himself in enough to keep from snapping them.

"Damnit, Rogue. _Stop it_." he ground out between slightly chattering teeth. Tears he'd never admit to prickled his golden green eyes. He twisted harder on the throttle with thick fingers, kicking the Harley into the next gear, grateful for the icy wind that whipped all the evidence away.

He was close. He could sense it. The hair on the back of his neck stood on end as the thick tires ate up the pavement.

His heart thundered and suddenly he couldn't breathe. Like he was suffocating. Drowning on land. His vision swirled and he felt the ground shake violently beneath him, the trees on either side of him swaying with no breeze. His hands went unsteady, wobbling. He hung on, trying desperately to keep himself and the motorcycle upright.

Logan squeezed his eyes shut. He was choking. And somehow, he was underwater. He could feel the pressure of the current spinning him out of control like he was trapped in the agitation of a giant washing machine, and he had no idea which way was up. Bubbles whirled among… he couldn't be sure, but he thought those were trees, spinning beneath him. Under the murky water. And then, everything went dark…

 **Author's Note:** :o Wth is going on?! Better keep reading to find out...  & tell me about it! *wink*


	7. High

Song:  watch?v=96pQTiPWDpA

Logan pulled a big hand up to shield his eyes from the sun stabbing him in the back of his skull. His arm felt like it was full of lead. Or… ya know, adamantium. But heavier than normal. He groaned. What the hell had just happened? He rolled to his side, pushing himself up shakily, slipping on the loose slate.

"Fuck." he ground out between clenched teeth as his body thudded to the ground once more. He shook his head when his eyes landed on pieces of shell and river stone levitating around him, trying to shake the out of place image away, unable to make sense of... anything at this point, really.

Finally, he stood, bracing himself against the rough bark of the nearest big pine tree with a mending dislocated shoulder and took in the landscape, holding his arm in place by the elbow with his other while it healed. He saw it then. The shore. Not fifty feet from where he was standing. Or trying to, anyway. His breath hitched in his throat painfully, and he squeezed his eyes shut against the tortured memory.

" _Don't do this, kid…" the water drew nearer, way too fast. Hell bent on obliterating the only thing that had ever mattered to him._

" _I love you..."_

 _She'd let it take her then, a soft smile playing across her perfect lips. And just like that, Logan's world had ceased to exist. While he stood helpless and watched._

Logan shoved himself violently away from the tree, scraping the inside of his palm and stumbled to the water's edge, dodging various floating abnormalities, eyes narrowed, trying to choke back the sob determined to rip itself out of his chest. He dropped to his knees then, unable to carry the weight of it all anymore. All the death and carnage that seemed to follow him everywhere he went. Or had been caused thanks to yours truly.

A flash of silver drifted in the tail of his line of vision. He turned in it's direction. There. In the middle of thin air, were his dog tags. The ones he'd hurled at Stryker when he'd left him for dead. Before…

Logan sniffed and reached out, hesitating, before snatching them out of the mist. Completely bewildered.

"Lose something?" came a silky southern twang.

" _I'll be back for these…"_

Logan whirled to his feet, an almost imperceptible look of pleading on his face, eyes wide. He didn't want to blink. Afraid to move, to speak. Terrified she'd vanish in the fog. Like the cheshire cat. But prettier.

"I thought so." he finally managed to choke out in a low and throaty whisper, his voice laced with wonder.

Logan weighed her with a critical squint, still unsure if she was real. She stood motionless in the middle of the rocky shore. Slender, dark, and fiery with eyes that glowed and pierced, a bemused smile gracing generously curved lips. The breeze picked up just then, kicking at her long flowing dark hair, shining like glass behind her.

"Aren'tcha gonna say hello?" she spoke, mockingly coy.

That was all Logan needed. He swiftly closed the distance between them until he left her no room at all, stopping just short of actually touching her. Slowly, she raised a small delicate hand to trace the sharp edges of his cheek and jawline, careful not to actually make contact. Always so careful…

His muscles suddenly tensed. She withdrew her hand quickly, swallowing hard and squared her shoulders. She turned. He moved in an instinctive gesture of comfort. Logan reached out, halting her with an iron grip on her wrist, and swung her around to face him. Her lips parted in surprise and suddenly the world tilted and Logan was claiming them with his own in a supernova, two worlds colliding. Marking her.

He was kissing her. I mean, really kissing her. His demanding tongue exploring the dark recesses of her soft, wet mouth. Tasting her, breathing her in, trying desperately to make her become a part of him by sheer will. Going deeper than any man ever had. Until they both had to come up for air. And he wasn't dying…

That hadn't even come anywhere close to syphoning Jean Grey's level five mutant powers. It had been better. Better than she ever imagined a kiss could be...

He pulled reluctantly away and held her at arms length. A look of implacable determination on his face, dark wet hair clinging to his forehead. Rogue tried to get her breathing back under control.

"Well, hello." she teased, trying to relax, but he held her eyes and it made her thoughts scatter.

A deep chuckle greeted her, an eyebrow raised. Rogue's heart fluttered. She'd never thought she'd hear that sound again, and it was better than she remembered.

"How-?" huskiness lingered in his tone, his beautiful hazel irises locked once more on her lips, completely forgetting about the already healed shoulder he'd dislocated only moments before and the probable head injury. Which might explain all this…

But she felt so real. Smelled just like he remembered. Like sunshine, daisies. Milk and honey.,. So, then why could he kiss her without having the life sucked out of him?

Oh, what the hell. Who cares? If it killed him, he'd die a happy son of a bitch. And if it was all in what was left of his broken conscience, then he never wanted to leave. He'd be crazy forever to taste her again, dig his greedy fingers into the sleek curve of her hips and press her wild, beautiful body against his. Finally, after all this time. To hell with sanity. This was better. Much better.

"I don't know." she eyed him with a calculating expression, the gravity between them reeling her in. She threaded her fingers through his thick hair, her expression hungry and lustful. Logan didn't think he could stop if he wanted to. Thankfully, it didn't look like she was too excited about the idea either. In fact, it seemed like she was trying to devour him. And he was loving every minute of it. Until...

Logan's brow drew downward in a frown and his eyes flew open. A momentary look of discomfort carved on his face as Rogue moaned into his mouth. He took both of her arms gently in his hands and tried to pull back, but her lips held him, and he felt the all too familiar pull. Like his lungs were being sucked out by a vacuum and his vision went hazy around the corners. Rogue's eyes flew open and the last thing he saw were flames burning where there should have been twinkling, mysterious brown. And then everything went black... Again.


	8. Run

Song: watch?v=oVslvM30EWI

For once, Logan wanted to wake up to something normal. He wasn't sure what that meant exactly, but he was pretty sure it didn't include being haunted by disembodied voices. Or floating shit, or... needles? And… beeping machinery. Right. Normal. Like... Ah hell. He had nothin. He'd never been normal. Never seen normal, probably wouldn't recognize normal if it kicked him in the jewels. Normal would be… weird. _That_ would be a strange way to wake up.

He sat up dizzily, a crisp white sheet bunching at the deep V of his hips. Ok. He was shirtless. And confused. He quirked a brow, squinting against the light.

"Ah, shit." he growled, voice dry and scratchy. He was thirsty. Really thirsty. He tried to hold the pieces of his broken skull together by pressing between his eyes with a tender palm. Ow _._ He felt like he'd played chicken with a log truck and lost. Or did that mean he'd won…? His brain hurt. Thinking was not good.

"We gotta stop meeting like this." Jean Grey mused from where she leaned against the doorframe of the mansion's med lab, arms crossed over an ample chest, that under different circumstances he'd be admiring.

"What the hell am I doin' here?" he growled, bracing himself with one arm against the cold metal table he was sitting on, muscles straining. The world was going all swirly again. Logan wasn't used to hurting for any extended period of time, and it made the Wolverine a little cranky. The last time he'd felt this shitty…

Logan's eyes about popped out of his throbbing head.

"Where is she? Is she...?"

"She's... here. Logan, she's…" Jean paused, a look of pain flitting across her pretty features, eyes dropping to the pristine white tiles that lined the floor, unwilling to hold his gaze. Logan's heart sunk, heavier than a stone.

"No..." his voice cracked.

Jean's hands flew up in front of her, panic stricken.

"No! No, she's-she's not… _dead,_ Logan. She's just… I should wait for the Professor…" she trailed off, pointing her well manicured thumb over her shoulder and pressing her lips shut in a thin line.

Logan choked around a half hysterical laugh, that echoed around the wide white room, relief making his knees go weak. Not that he'd let Jean see that. She started taking down his X-rays from the giant fluorescent light board, keeping her eyes anywhere but on him. Logan's feet hit the floor. Wires, needles and medical tape ripping from various places on his very exposed, very large, powerful body, and had to steady himself for a split second. The sheet forgotten.

Jean turned, X-rays scattering, mouth agape and slapped a hand over her far from virgin eyes, spinning back towards the wall.

"Uhm…"

Logan's eyebrow raised in borderline humorous contempt. After all, he had to get like this somehow... But not quite. He had to find Marie. Find out… everything. And Jean was in his way.

Rogue had died to save his love for the woman in front of him, forbidden or not. But the second the words had left her lips, it'd hit him. More like smacked him in the face. It had always been her. She was the one he couldn't live without. That he should never touch. Or could never touch. At least that's what he'd thought at the time. And now that he had a second chance, he was going to make sure she knew it every second. He belonged to her. She'd marked him, in every possible way. And in some ways he was sure they'd make up along the way…

But still. He was a guy.

"Just gonna leave me hangin here, sweetheart?" the comment was worth every syllable. Just so he could enjoy her reaction. Her cheeks went nearly the same shade of the hair that swung about her proud shoulders, jaw clenched, in exasperation.

The Dr. made a point to focus only on the the task in front of her, ignoring the mess completely. To get Logan pants. And a shirt. Immediately. Logan's fingers drummed against the steel, impatient. Playtime over. Rogue was waiting. Somewhere out there, she was alive. Waiting for him. If he just walked out the door naked he could save some them some time…

Jean set a folded pair of sweatpants and a sweater on the rolling metal tray in the middle of the room.

"You know, you should probably-" Logan growled softly, hands balled into fists at his sides against the urge to grow claws.

She nodded softly, held up a hand in surrender and turned, exiting the lab without another word. Sharp heels clicking down the hallway. _Finally._ Wolverine grinned. _Rogue..._

 **Author's Note:** Thank you SO much everyone for showing your support. Ya'll's feedback is the fuel to the fire for my current passion. This runaway train of a story. So much love. *kiss*


	9. Love Burns

Song: watch?v=nH7bjV0Q_44

Logan rounded the corner of the underground X corridor, nearly colliding with the founder of the whole misfit outfit. He jumped back slightly. If Logan hadn't been in such a hurry, he would've smelled him a mile away. Charles didn't even flinch.

"Ah, Logan. Welcome back." he kept right on rolling his custom motorized wheelchair in the same direction that he'd been heading. Logan raised a brow, eyes following the old man.

"I think you'll find what you're looking for this way."

The Wolverine, curiosity piqued, fell in stride behind him, heartbeat picking up in tempo at the thought of finally reuniting with Rogue. _His_ Rogue.

"Before you see Marie, there's something you should know. She's… a little bit different than the girl that you remember." Charles stopped in a deserted part of the dark wooded hallway. There was a hidden meaning in his tone and Logan's breath hitched in his throat. He'd known that there would be no hiding what had happened between them at Alkali Lake from the Professor, but he hadn't been prepared to deal with it just yet. Not before he'd even had the chance to talk to her about it, to find out where they stood.

Oh yeah, he'd noticed that she was different. The words "burning fiery passion" came to mind... Literally. She'd always been a pistol, but damn…

"Different. What do you mean by "different"?" he feigned well practiced innocence. Not that it would make a difference with the Professor's telepathy if he chose to employ it.

Charles inscrutable gaze was fixed on the grounds and he didn't offer a reply. After a few moments of uncomfortable silence, Logan followed his line of vision, shifting his weight to the other foot. There, by the gaudy fountain in the center of the courtyard was none other than his Marie. ... _his_ Marie locking lips with that Ice prick kid, Billy. Or Bobby. Or dead man walking... Her brilliant hair a shining curtain, catching the sun, cascading over her… exposed shoulders? Falling carelessly past… the curve of her bare perfect back? Where the wrong man's hand was resting possessively, fingers pressing between her venus dimples.

Logan's wasn't sure what the expression on his face read at that particular moment, but let's just say that he was glad that Xavier's head was turned the other direction. He felt like his bleeding heart had just been ripped from his impressive chest (which should technically be impossible) and was being held in front of his eyes for him to see. He felt like vomiting. And using his adamantium claws to skewer that pimply faced punk kid and holding his head under that fountain til it froze and he was stuck there, and he suffocated under that stupid ice he loved so much. Logan would give him cold. One ice cold execution, comin' up. And he'd watch with a smile as his blood spilled all over the pavement...

If Charles was listening to his thoughts, he was courteous enough not to comment. Logan however was seriously considering launching himself through that window and-

"She doesn't remember, Logan." he barely heard above the sound of his blood boiling and the roaring in his ears.

 **Author's Note:** As always, your feedback is as welcome as it is appreciated. The good, the bad, the ugly... I'll take it! 3


	10. The Road To Hell

Song: watch?v=BF-nZziUCCY&list=PLWIQbSVrdmL_Vbo6iCUsq5QaQjGdN4tJO&index=5

"What the hell happened?" Logan finally managed to choke out around the jagged gaping wound in his chest where his heart used to be.

"Follow me." the Professor spoke softly, whether out of pity or discretion, Logan wasn't in any shape to try and discern. A muscle flickered angrily along his jaw, mind still reeling at what he had just witnessed.

Charles Xavier's office looked every bit the part of what you'd expect the dean of an elite educational institution's quarters to be. Lush, expensive high wing backed leather chairs, every volume of encyclopedia he'd never heard of resting on the floor to ceiling shelves behind his generous mahogany desk. Warm sun filtered in through the generous sized windows lining either side of the room. It smelled like old paper and orange furniture polish. It'd been awhile since Logan had been called to the Principal's office...

Xavier rolled to a cabinet on the right side of the room and did something that caught Logan completely off guard. He pulled out two glasses and a bottle of very expensive, very old scotch. He'd never seen the Professor take a sip in all his time at the mansion. That bad, huh? He still hadn't spoken a word and the anticipation coiled in the Wolverine's limbs laced the air thick with tension, massive arms crossed, fists clenched, nostrils flared. He had to remind himself to breathe before he blew a gasket.

"Shut the door behind you."

The Wolverine turned and did as he was told, grateful and terrified that this appeared to be going somewhere, for all the world feeling like he was standing on the edge of an extremely high precipice. Not that it would kill him, but still. It would suck. A lot. The Professor set the fancy crystal tumblers side by side nearest to the guest seating and poured a generous amount into each. Logan quirked a brow. The Professor took his and went around to the other side of his desk, leaving the other glass. Logan slowly walked over and did what he thought was expected of him and took a seat. Charles took a sip of his, still not looking at Logan, but staring out the window once more, appearing to be seeing something else entirely. Something older and farther away. Logan swallowed his in one smooth burning gulp. Whew. Yeah, that was the good stuff. He quirked a brow, resting his arm with the glass on the width of his thigh, thick with muscle, knee bouncing, restless.

"What's this about?" he finally said when he couldn't stand the suspense any longer.

"I think you know." Charles' eyes locked on Logan. The Wolverine's teeth grinded under the scrutiny.

"Why don't you enlighten me?" his voice rough, frustration getting the better of him. "What the hell happened the other day?"

"Jean Grey is the only class five mutant I've ever encountered, her potential limitless." Xavier said. Logan was confused again.

"Ok. What's that got to do with Rogue?"

"The sheer mass of water that collapsed on top of Rogue should have obliterated her. The only explanation of her survival is that when she absorbed Jean's powers, it wrapped her in a cocoon of telekinetic energy. And along with access to your healing ability, amplified by the raw power coursing through her at the time, she was kept alive."

"So, how did she get out?"

"Do you remember the tremors you felt before you woke up at Alkali Lake, that knocked you from Scott's motorcycle?"

"Ya, what about it?" he asked.

Xavier just held Logan's bewildered glare, patiently waiting for him to make the connection.

"You're saying that that was Rogue? She caused an _earthquake_?" his voice incredulous rang out around the room.

"Jean's mutation is seated in the unconscious part of her mind and therein lay the danger. When she was a girl, I created a series of psychic barriers to isolate her powers from her conscious mind. The Jean you know now always has her powers under control, but there is a dormant side. Purely instinctual. All desire and joy and rage."

"Does she know all this?"

"It's unclear how much she knows. Far more critical is whether her powers will eventually wear off of our friend Rogue, who is, by no fault of her own, nowhere near as controlled. Between the other personalities and their powers already in her mind from the other's she's touched, and Jean's level 5 mutation, she's nearly as unstable as a nuclear weapon."

"What?" Logan ran his big hands over his disbelieving face.

"There is every chance that she could've very well killed you the other day. I've taken every precaution I can, by putting up the same psychic blocks that are in Jean's mind to keep her under control. As well as…" The Professor opened up a drawer and reached inside, taking out a rolled up piece of black fabric. Untying the strings binding it closed, he laid it open across the desk to reveal several syringes.

"This suppresses her mutation. Or mutations, I should say. From my earlier days, developed by a colleague and close friend of mine. Perfectly safe. The effects however, are temporary. She has no idea that I've been injecting her with the serum in the few short sessions that I've spent with her since she's come home. And she mustn't know, Logan. Her psych is so very fragile right now, and setting her off could be catastrophic. For everyone."

"Control? You're talking about a person's mind, here." Logan spit out, astounded.

"You have to understand…" the Professor started.

"Sometimes, when you cage the beast, the beast get's angry." he said, standing up with such force the oversized chair flew back.

"You have no idea of what she is capable." Xavier squared his shoulders in defiance.

"I had no idea of you were capable of." Logan ground out, slamming his glass down in front of Charles. It was only by the grace of God that it didn't shatter into a million pieces.

"I had a terrible choice to make. I chose the lesser of two evils." he said indignantly.

"You're talking about a girl who sacrificed herself to save all of us. You think she can't handle this?"

"The best thing for Rogue is to go on about her life as normal and we wait to see if the borrowed power recedes."

"And what if they don't? Lie to her and drug her for the rest of her life? Chain her up and lock her in the basement? What!" Xavier went quiet, a muscle ticking angrily in his jaw. "I think I've heard enough." Logan turned on his big booted foot to leave, ready to get the hell out of there as fast as he could.

"I mean it, Logan. Do not rock this boat."

Logan slammed the door behind him.

 **Author's Note:** Hmm... What do ya'll think? Lol


	11. Lost and Found (Rewrite)

Author's Note: Thank you wonderful reviewer who let me know that this chapter had suddenly gone wonky! Why? Idk lol. But thanks! Enjoy lovelies.

Song: watch?v=WJTXDCh2YiA&list=PLWIQbSVrdmL89bOrXNTFeXVnodb2v9YdD&index=11

"Shit."

Logan stumbled, hanging on to the gravestone, boots sinking ankle deep in the snow. The only thing right about that conversation had been the whiskey. Mind control. Syringes. His Rogue. Kissing Bobby... Her boyfriend. And Logan, helpless to do anything about it. Again. Son of a bitch.

He still hadn't seen her. She had to know there was something wrong with that. She'd know that he'd been up and walking for hours. Or making a sorry attempt at it, at this point. There weren't many secrets in the mansion. Stupid telepaths. But he had whiskey. He expected the whiskey to sting. But the deception, the betrayal… Logan had thought that Xavier had been one of the best people he'd ever known...

But he didn't really care about that right at this moment. Because whiskey made things better. Or made problems blurrier... Bobby. Bobby's hand waaay too low… Logan grew claws.

"Does it hurt?"

"Everytime."

His unsteady legs finally gave way to his weight in his drunken stupor and his massive body slid down the cold marble. He laughed hoarsely and bitterly. The stars shone brightly above him, illuminating the fleecey snow. His breath came out in little puffs.

"Everytime." he took another swig, retracting his claws and ran his fingers over the space between his knuckles where they'd been, brow drawn in a frown. What had he been thinking? That someone like her could ever want someone like him. Because he was such a catch. What with all the killing, cage fights, and tendency to find strange women in his bed. And don't forget, his substitute teaching abilities. Who could say no to that? He rolled unsteadily to his hands and knees, turning to face the name written there in elegant script, gently running his fingers along where it was etched in stone.

"You were never really here, were you? But this is exactly where I belong..."his voice was gruff, eyes shining in the night. "I wasn't worth it, Marie. Why'd you do it?" he murmured.

"Does it help?"

Logan jumped, spinning around, snow fanning out around him. Wobbly, his reflexes slow with liquor. There she was. And she looked more delicate and ethereal than ever, unreal in the dim light.

"The whiskey? Does it keep you warm?"

She plopped down next to him, back covering the carving of the angel that was engraved there, wings spreading wide on either side of her. She rested her head back against the stone and drew her legs to her chest. Completely unafraid of accidentally brushing against him with the soft ivory of her shoulders, that were begging him to...

She tilted her head, silken waves spilling over the bare flesh and grabbed the whiskey bottle out of his stunned grip, the mischievous sparkle in her eyes daring him to stop her. He just quirked an inquisitive brow, and watched. She put it to the soft color of her damp lips, took a pull and made a face, coughing a little, and offered it back to him. Some angel.

He blinked, gaining a little snap.

"It doesn't hurt. Here." he started to shrug out of his leather jacket and wrap it around her. Contrary to what he knew to be true, she felt so fragile next to him.

"Nah, thanks. It's ok. It's not everyday a girl like me get's to show a little skin. Besides, I like the cold."

He inclined his head ever so slightly.

"So I noticed." he said smoothly, stretching his long legs out leisurely in front of him, carefully aloof.

She flushed but remained silent.

"So, I guess Bobby was happy to see you, huh?"

She looked away quickly. The lines of concentration deepening along her brows and under her eyes. The tensing of her jaw betraying her frustration.

"Ya…" she spoke softly. She took back the whiskey, held it front of her, arms resting on her bent knees and studied it. "I'm sorry about… Ya, know." she trailed off and took another slug, this time like a trooper.

Logan went utterly still. Was she talking about…? He waited, deceptively calm. "I guess one of these days you'll have to quit saving my life before it kills ya." she said, a cold edge of irony to her voice. Logan took a deep breath, adjusted his smile, forcing himself to relax. He took back his whiskey. Or the Professor's whiskey he should say. Serves him right…

"You save mine…"

"I save yours." The beginnings of a smile tipped the corners of her mouth.

"Promise?" he nudged her with a wolfish grin.

"Yeah, I promise."

Her eyes froze on his lips. The familiar exchange of words hanging between them. Logan's drifted, down to where the lace at her throat parted, the hollow of her neck filled with soft shadows. Her firm, high perched breasts looked warm and shapely above her low cut bodice. His heart rate sped up as his eyes locked on hers, getting lost in those deep dark mysterious pools...

A light went on across the courtyard in the distance. He wasn't sure which one of them broke away first.

"Let's get you inside. Before you freeze to death and this becomes your permanent address." he joked standing up and brushing the snow off his ass with one hand. He held out his other to her. She wore An intense but secret expression and paused. She reached up and placed hers in his own, gloves finally off. He slung his arm her, pulling her against his side for warmth, at least that's what he told himself, dwarfing her.

"You need me to carry you, sugar?" the teasing laughter was back in her eyes.

His answering laugh was deep and rumbled like thunder.

"Now, that's somethin' I'd pay to see."

"Ya didn't hear? I've got super strength strength now. And… I can fly." she mused smugly. Logan stopped dead in his tracks, he eyed her with a calculating expression.

"No shit."

"How do ya thank we got here, darlin'? Magic?"

Logan swallowed around the lump that was suddenly in his throat.

"Huh." was all he managed, the Professor's warning echoing in his head. He shook the thought off. No. She was still his Marie. Just 2.0. That was all. She wasn't dangerous. Well, ya know, anymore than usual.

"You didn't drop me, did you…"

"Well you are heavier than the average person. But even if I did, you have the hardest head on the planet, Logan." he shoved her away playfully as they headed into the warmth of the mansion, together.

"What? You heal..."

"My hero."

Normal.


	12. It's Enough To Make You Crazy

Song: watch?v=3-NTv0CdFCk&index=109&list=PLhn2sWQYSM89mCLp_Pq0ymdrIqDm_E3Hl

"Hi."

Logan reluctantly opened his eyes, still a little buzzed, to a cute little girl. Standing over him. While he was sleeping. Because that wasn't weird... Where was he sleeping? The couch. Marie had left him there in front of the fire last night since his room wasn't ready yet, due to repairs. To a window. Oops. He heard giggling behind him and felt a tug on his hair. He sat straight up, swatting the little hooligans away. When that didn't work, he popped claws and glared, menacingly. The little girls just crawled up next to him, oohing and ahhhing.

"Can we touch 'em?"

"No."

"Shiney!"

"Where do they go when they're gone? Do they hurt?"

"Do you stab people?"

Logan's eyes went wide, starting to panic a little. Give him bikers, give him apocalypses, crazed killer mutants, but kids? He had no idea what to do with kids. Or more specifically, how to stop them and their super annoying powers.

"Logan, get your ass up. You're late." Scott Summers said, as he strolled by the foot of the oversized sofa.

"Late for what?" The Wolverine snapped, standing up, trying to shake one of them off of his leg.

"You didn't see the schedule? Danger Room session. You're on duty for, say, the next decade."

Logan quirked a brow, scowling.

"Unless, you were planning on going to pick up my new Harley today?"

Logan turned his hand towards him and dropped all his claws but one. Scott grinned and turned to carry on about whatever his business was. He stopped for a minute and looked over his shoulder.

"Logan. I'm glad she's ok."

The Wolverine just nodded slightly in response. And then Scott busted out laughing.

"The hell's wrong with you?" he growled. Scott just shook his head and kept right on cruising down the hall, cracking up the entire way. Logan glowered after him.

"One eyed…" he rumbled under his breath, looking down at the big blue eyes staring up at him, raptly alert, waiting for him to finish what he'd been saying. "...bad person." He cleared his throat and gave her a small smile. Ya know, she was kinda cute. When she was sitting still and was quiet.

"Sneak attaaack!"

He'd forgotten she had a friend. Who launched herself onto Logan's back, tiny arms choking him. He swayed, slightly unsteady, attempting not to trip over the girl sitting on his boot, but failed, lost his balance and hit the floor. They immediately pounced on his back, unharmed and started bouncing up and down.

"Horsey ride! Horsey ride!"

Logan sighed and closed his eyes. Maybe if he played dead they'd go away.

 **Author's Note:** Just for fun. 3


	13. Waking Up

Song: watch?v=ktvTqknDobU&index=11&list=PLWIQbSVrdmL_Vbo6iCUsq5QaQjGdN4tJO

"Logan, you're late."

Lasers flew over Storm's bright white hair as she crouched behind a charred sedan, the students already scattered in various defensive positions among the faux disaster.

"Don't get your panties in a bunch. I was attacked."

"Magneto?"

"I wish. By mini mutants." Storms eyebrows drew down in a curious frown.

"What's that in your hair?"

"What?"

"Logan."

"What?!" Ororo side swiped the Wolverine, wrapping her slender arms around his torso, and spun them both, tornado style, out of the line of fire of the burning minivan that was hurtling towards them. Logan looked over at her, panting, head still spinning a little.

"What's wrong with my hair?"

Ororo glanced up and took off in the opposite direction.

"Son of a bitch…" he pushed away from the scrap heap and casually walked over to the nearest decrepit pickup with a rear view mirror still hanging on by a thread, oblivious to the war raging on around him. _There's nothin' wrong with my hair. I have great hair…_

That was when he saw it. A pretty pink bow perched on the right side of his head. Logan growled. He glanced up and saw Marie staring over at him in surprise and froze. An explosion erupted behind her and the Tin Man turned, instinctively pulling her against him, careful to make sure his hand was on the silky protection of her vivid hair, and they simultaneously turned quicksilver and indestructible. The debris meant for them ricocheted off their protective outer shell and hit Logan full on in the face, showing his adamantium cheekbone and a piece of his forehead. A muscle flickered angry at his jaw as he felt the skin regenerating. Then he remembered the bow. _Now that's how you get rid of that bullshit_. _With annihilating force._ He wondered how much they'd seen. Tin Man was still shaking off the hit. Logan pulled out a cigar. _Play it cool._

"The whole world's goin' to hell, you're just gonna sit there? Let's go."

They hauled ass, Logan's eyes following Marie's the entire way. Until she stopped dead in her tracks. Bobby was fighting fire with ice in the distance, shielding that little brunette girl who could walk through walls. He turned proudly at his victory, and they had a clear eye fuck moment, before it was her turn to protect him against the onslaught of destruction. She wrapped him in a tight embrace, ducking her little head against him as they turned… Well, the shit flew through them. He could feel Rogue's heart break from where he stood and he had the urge to melt the kid with the giant robot trying to kill them all's lasers. Same side or not.

Logan used a smoldering flame burning next to him to light the cigar in his mouth, careful not to singe his signature chops. Storm came up next to him, lithe body landing with a thud.

"We're getting killed out here." she said, disheartened.

"Yeah, I know. They're not ready, Storm." Logan replied gruffly.

Just then a hovercraft dove for Rogue. She shut her eyes against the blinding headlights and held up her hands to employ her newfound telekinesis, and Logan's heart sank. If she'd had the serum today, her powers would be useless. The thing would obliterate her. _Dammit, Charles._

Logan wasted no time launching himself at her, a good ten feet away, and hit right on target, covering her body with his own. A piece of metal lodged in his liver and he howled with fury. He could feel her chest heaving beneath him, full breasts brushing against his sweat slick chest. Her face was flushed, eyes twinkling, locked on his, curious. Logan's lip curled, bracing himself as he reached a hand around behind his back to yank the shrapnel free. He threw it out to the side of them, still lost in the moment. He realized then that all eyes were on them, and you could hear a pin drop over the sound of the world ending. He pulled himself up, careful not to crush her with his weight, in turn, helping her to her feet. She swallowed and they both walked slowly over to the X-men, who spread out. _Alright, that's enough of this bullshit._

"It's getting closer!"

"Come on, let's keep moving!"

Logan walked straight into the sentinels line of fire, staring it down. He glanced over his shoulder.

"Hey, Tin Man. Come here. How's your throwing arm?" he asked, drawing claws.

"Logan, we work as a team!" Storm hollered to his left.

"Yeah. Good luck with that. Throw me." the Tin Man glanced back and forth between him and Storm. "Now."

Understandably more afraid of disobeying Logan. Especially with his shiny claws on display. The big guy went super silver and grabbed Logan by the jacket, swinging him around for added velocity. The Wolverine soared through the air, battle cry and all, and everything went momentarily still. Before a giant robot head slid just short of knocking Bobby's feet out from under him, red eyes flickering. Logan walked around the dismembered piece of scrap metal, quirked an eyebrow, retracted his claws with a distinct *SKINKT* and announced,

"Class dismissed."

Storm rolled her eyes and sighed.

"Simulation complete."

Marie crossed her arms over her chest and hurried out into the hall. Logan lost all of his smugness as he watched Bobby run out after her.

"Rogue, what's the matter? What happened out there?" he spun her around by the arm, the picture of innocence.

"It's nothin', Bobby. I just have to go see the Professor. That's all. I'm late. So, if you don't mind, you can let me go now." The threat clear in her voice. She spun on her heel, hair swinging haughtily behind her. Bobby stood and stared, dumbfounded.. Kitty came up beside him and took his hand, silently. They exchanged a look, neither of them saying a word. Logan broke their touching handhold, shoving his big body between them as he walked down the hall.

"Smooth move, Vanilla Ice."

At the heart of it, Logan knew it wasn't Bobby's fault. At least not completely. But it still made him feel a little better to know that he was on to the prick's little game and he wasn't havin' it. But he chewed on the inside of his bottom lip. _The Professor can't help you kid…_ Logan glowered. He shoved his palm into a locker on his way out, leaving a clear dent in the metal.

 **Author's Note:** I hope you liked it.  & I hope you tell me if you like it lol. *mwah* Ya'll are the best.


	14. It Just Keeps Getting Harder

**Author's Note:** I know it's been awhile. Sorry, this chapter almost made me throw in the towel on the whole story. But I hope it was worth the wait. Feel free to tell me if you hate it. Or love it. Whatever. Whichever? ...whatever. You know what I mean lol. :)

Song: watch?v=Rv_UW8sHsWE&list=RDQMhW-P2aDE3lk&index=2

Logan switched on the light in his bedroom. Immaculate. Not at all as he'd left it. He stalked over to the bed and sat down with a sigh, the mattress creaking under the weight. He'd looked everywhere for Marie, she was nowhere to be found. Vanished. Into thin air. And boy was the air thin… It was like a frigid tundra out there. He went to run a big square hand over his face in frustration and paused when he saw the light glinting off of an object lying on his antique night table. His dog tags.

" _Lose somethin'?"_

" _I thought so…"_

Logan closed his eyes against the onslaught of the memory, breathing in deep. He ground his teeth together and ran his fingers over the cold metal softly. Had she left them there? Or were they on him when he'd been in the med lab… returned by Jean? He laid back against the overstuffed pillows and held it before him in the light, tracing his name with his eyes. WOLVERINE

He sat back up, irritated, and way too damn restless to sleep. He grabbed his worn leather jacket off of the dresser and stuck his dog tags in his pocket. He had no idea where he was going, but he had to do something to get her off his mind. Or find her. Both would be good.

Logan strolled around the corner of the mansion's kitchen, a chef's wet dream, and was taken aback. There, straddling a backwards barstool at the giant island, with a spoon hanging from her ridiculously tempting mouth, was the bane of his existence. Rogue. He nearly smiled. Her eyes popped up as he entered and she asked innocently,

"What?"

"Couldn't sleep." he replied, a little too short.

She quirked a brow. He went to the double door stainless refrigerator and went on the hunt for booze, as a distraction. Or beer. Whichever he came across first. He growled when he came up empty handed and leaned against the freezer door, hazel eyes coming to rest on Rogue, face imperious. She glanced down sheepishly, biting her lip, and reached under the counter between her slightly parted thighs, and came up with a frosty bottle. She placed it on the butcher's block between them. An unspoken peace offering.

"Share?"

Logan took in her glassey honey brown eyes, semi-flushed cheeks and perpetual grin.

"I think you've had enough. I'm cuttin' you off." he pointed at her and swiped the beer, putting it to his lips, trying desperately not to acknowledge the taste of her as he took a long swallow. His jeans got a little too tight in the crotch and he spread his legs out, hoping to hide it as best he could. He placed the bottle on the counter behind him, bracing himself with thick muscled arms. He cleared his throat, anger suddenly taking the place of lust as he started to think about how he'd spent his afternoon. He glared. She pouted. He melted. Slightly.

"Well…" she enunciated the word and couldn't keep from giggling. Logan just shook his head and chugged half the brew.

"Rough day I take it?" he asked huskily.

Marie put her very exposed finger to her adorable chin and tapped it, thoughtfully. Well, as thoughtful as she could be, while also simultaneously holding her head up with the very same hand.

"Hmmm…" She whipped the spoon out of her mouth with a pop and used it for punctuation. "Well, if you call a bad breakup, and your defectiveness almost causing a near death experience for multiple people, after a near death experience, for multiple people, also your fault, bad, then I'd say... where did all the beer go? You drank it, huh? You could've shared. I shared..." she gestured with her hands, still smiling blissfully.

Logan couldn't help it. He smirked, barely reigning in laughter.

"Who hasn't almost died." he met her eyes directly. "And who hasn't had a bad break up?" he lifted his beer for emphasis.

It was her turn to smirk.

"I'd say cheers, but ya know…" she gestured to the empty space in front of her, devil may care. Logan took a sip, pointedly.

"What's with the spoon? Need some grease to go with that booze Helps, so they say."

She sighed.

"I came for the ice cream. Ya know, cliche breakup food. Found beer instead. Lucky me." she waggled her eyebrows at him playfully.

Logan turned and opened the freezer, coming up with a carton of rocky road and set it in front of her. She peeled back the lid and submerged her spoon, pulled it out and turned it upside down, sticking it to her tongue. He hawkeyed the movement.

"So, the danger room… What happened out there?" he lifted the Miller to his lips, eyes still glued to her.

She paused, surprised. Her eyes darkened and she jutted her lower lip out, brows drawn in concentration, swirling the colors in the slowly melting ice cream suddenly becoming very interesting. He waited. She tilted her head back, hair falling in a waterfall down her back, sighing again. She met his gaze steadily, a steely edge to her voice.

"Life's a bitch. I'm glad to be back." Rogue smiled, but it didn't reach her eyes.

Logan contemplated her words, leaning in against the island, coming to rest on his forearms. He reached out to grab the spoon from her and she pulled it away, glaring.

"See what happens when you don't share?" she asked indignantly.

He set the bottle between them.

"Prisoner exchange?"

She mimicked his signature cocked brow as she considered the offer. He grabbed the spoon anyway and stuck it in the ice cream.

"Hey!"

"See what happens when you take what doesn't belong to you?" he mirrored her quirked brow.

She grinned and snatched back the beer.

"I guess you're right." she put it to her parted rosey red lips and winked. Neither one of them looked away.

"So, you finally kicked Bobby to the curb, huh? Good for you." he said as he took a bite.

"Or something." she took the spoon back from him, not meeting his gaze.

"The kid dumped _you_?" Logan wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, unable to hide his surprise.

Marie glowered at the melty mess in front of her. There was both delicacy and strength in her face. She lifted her chin.

"He… It's just… nevermind." She shook her head, the color rising in her cheeks, dark hair swinging about her proud shoulders. Logan waited. When she didn't continue, he took the spoon back and stole another bite of ice cream.

"So, we're keepin' secrets now?" he asked, offhand.

She looked him dead in the eye, her heightened color subsiding.

"Doesn't everyone?"

Logan quit chewing, heart beating wildly in his chest. He was grateful her new super powers didn't include keener senses. Dog-like hearing for example. Or Wolverine-ish hearing. Although, she had touched him recently. Maybe they did…

He swallowed, mouth suddenly dry and laid the spoon down. She picked it up. He put the bottle to his sticky sweet lips and took a pull, scowling at the hot beer, jaw clenched, nose flared. Stalling. She kept right on eating, the air so thick with tension Logan was having trouble breathing.

"Hmm." he said, drumming his long calloused fingers on the wooden table. Did she know?

"Truth or dare?" she pulled him from his troubled thoughts, biting her lip to stifle a grin.

His mouth quirked with humor.

"Aren't we a little old for that game?" he inquired with deceptive calm.

"Well, if you're chicken…" Marie shrugged, head tilted at an angle, tracing invisible patterns in the wood grain, letting the challenge dangle there between them. Logan crossed his arms over his broad chest, eyes narrowed. This could be bad. Or…

The Wolverine's sense of humor took over and his answering laugh was low and throaty.

"What the hell. Hit me." he swallowed the last sip of beer and set it in front of him with a muffled *clink*.

The beginnings of a smile tipped the corners of her mouth.

"Truth or dare?"

Logan thought about it for a minute. _Chicken my ass…_

"Hmmm… Dare."

She leaned in close.

"What happened the day that you found me?"

 _Well, shit._


	15. No Angel

**Author's Note:** I hope you like. Thank you so much, again. Ya'll are amazing.

Song: watch?v=wemAsKJqD_Y

Logan's steady gaze bore into her silent expectation, his brain short circuiting. The smoldering flame he saw there devastated his control, and his pulse pounded. He had to fight the deep primitive tug that drew him closer to her. The enticing memory of her full lips softening under his and the feathery strokes of his tongue and the fervor of her response sent a fierce flare of want through him like lightning, shaking his resolve to pieces. He hauled in a breath and tensed, muscles bulging.

"What'd the Professor say?" his gravelly words raised goosebumps along her flawless skin.

Rogue pushed away the ice cream, hiding behind it as her excuse. Her eyes spoke of so many things left unsaid. She covered it well with a saucy grin.

"That I dropped you on your head."

Marie drew her exceptionally pretty legs up, placing her feet on the chair seat, crossing at her ankles and draped her arms around them. Her hair disheveled. A dark aura encircling her head, wispy platinum bangs sweeping across her forehead.

Logan grimaced in good humor and attempted to shackle his raging lust. This girl was tampering with his sanity.

"That explains a lot." he'd always admired how she could be as playful as a girl one moment and as composed as an intelligent woman the next. She was just so damn disturbing to him in every way. It was maddening. "What's it like?" he asked, curious, watching her face where a wildness brewed beneath the gentleness.

"Flying?" she choked out a laugh. "I don't know." a melancholy frown flitted across her features. "There's something wrong with me, Logan…" her eyes glistened in the light.

 _Damnit._

He hated this. He hated the Professor for screwing with her head and her body. And he hated himself for lying to her about it. So, Logan did the only thing he could think of.

"Truth or dare?" his voice cut through her melancholy.

Her mouth curved up slightly in an almost imperceptible smile.

"Dare." she replied, barely above a whisper on the breeze.

Logan traced the beautiful landscape of her face.

"Do you trust me?" he matched her tone with a low rumble of sound.

The heart stopping tenderness in her eyes told him everything she felt.

"With my life."

Not a second's hesitation.

"Close your eyes."

Her soft dark lashes fluttered shut over the graceful arch of her cheekbones. Logan froze with a moment's indecision before he reached for her.


	16. Rise Up

Song: watch?v=kNKu1uNBVkU&index=14&list=PLWIQbSVrdmL_Vbo6iCUsq5QaQjGdN4tJO

"Can I open them, now?" Marie asked for the fifth time, stifling a giggle.

"Not yet." Logan reached around her from behind and opened the door, steering her gently through by the shoulders, barely avoiding the furniture in the dark.

She sighed, breathtakingly aware of his brazen, rough hands against her bare skin.

"What about now?" she whispered, reaching out to him with her voice, blood humming in her veins.

"Shhh. Hang on. Almost…" he steadied her when she stumbled slightly.

Rogue tapped her foot impatiently, quirking a brow. He really was rubbing off on her...

"Ok. Now."

She opened her eyes slowly with a charge of excitement. Until...

"Logan, what are we doin' out here?" she quipped in confusion.

"I dare you... to jump." he replied simply, a maddening air of arrogance about him.

"What?!" her doe eyes went wide and Marie resisted the urge to smack him. It wouldn't hurt him, anyway...

"I thought you said you trusted me." Logan flashed her a stunning rare smile that momentarily sent her thoughts scattering. _Yes, whatever the question was, the answer is yes…_

 _Get ahold of yourself, girl!_ Marie tried to throttle the dizzying current that raced through her. That was completely unfair. She always knew such an attraction would be perilous. But, really? He was trying to kill her on purpose, now.

"That was before you told me to jump off of a balcony!" she cried indignantly, flailing her arms, like it wasn't obvious. Just because his mere grin could cause women to hyperventilate from across the room he assumed she would just comply without thought? She didn't have to think about it. No. This was stupid. "Logan, I'm not that drunk."

"Do you want me to go first?" he crossed his arms, taut with steely muscles, veins bulging, across the well defined expanse of his perfectly chiseled chest, eyebrow raised in amused contempt. Smug.

"The words, 'If someone jumped off a bridge…?' come to mind." she pointed out.

"You can fly." his stare was bold as he assessed her frankly.

"And you're a dick. No, I can't! Remember? I'm defective."

"That's right. Chickens can't fly..." he mocked her, casually, shrugging.

A muscle in her jaw twitched, her cheeks flush in a tempting shade of pink. She threw him a dirty look.

"Easy for you to say, shithead. You heal." Marie stated matter of factly.

Logan grinned, golden green eyes twinkling, creasing at the corners. She was so cute when she was sassy.

"Come on, I'll catch you if you fall." he didn't wait for a reply, he just braced himself on the stone rail with strong hands and hopped over with the virile agility of a predator, landing with a soft thump, legs bent at the knees, arms slightly outstretched for balance. Effortless.

Rogue mulled it over, hugging her arms tight around her. She chewed on her bottom lip and called over the ledge, hesitantly,

"Promise?"

He straightened and turned to look up at her, pausing for effect, pretending to think about it.

"Well, in all fairness you did drop me first." he said.

Rogue spun on her heel and walked straight back into his bedroom, sheer white drapes billowing around her.

"I'm kidding! Don't get your panties in a bunch. I promise." he groused.

"You better not have your fingers crossed." She hollered, peeking over the edge at him.

He greeted her wtih a deep chuckle and Logan held his arms out, patiently waiting. She stood frozen in the doorway. When she still didn't jump he quirked a brow.

"If I drop you we'll make snow angels. They don't fly either. We'll be in good company."

"I hate you." Marie ground out through stiff lips, reason on the verge of tumbling into oblivion.

"You love me." the teasing laughter lighting up his eyes. He was enjoying this entirely too much.

"Shut up." Marie pulled in a deep shaky breath and held it, squaring her shoulders, and climbed up onto the edge of insanity. Willingly. Sorta… "This is ridiculous… Hey, Marie. Jump off a cliff, why don'tcha? Sure, Logan! Sounds great. Good thing I've already got a headstone!" she mumbled haughtily.

Logan employed selective hearing.

"Trust me." he coaxed again, with a semi-reassuring lopsided grin.

Marie gazed heavenward, praying for a miracle. Or maybe just not to die a squished splattery death. Or, maybe, for her powers to actually work...

If she died, she hoped Logan got squished too. She squeezed her glittering eyes shut and let go of her fear. She waited for the tell tale feeling of her stomach dropping and the onrushing of the wind as the ground rose up to meet her. But when none of that came, her honey colored eyes went round. Her feet seemed to be drifting along on a cloud.

"Hey, Logan! I could walk on sunshine." Marie couldn't help the bubbling laughter as she twisted in the air, aloft, amazed at the sight of him on the ground beneath her.

"No, shit." there was a tinge of wonder in his husky voice.

Panic quickly replaced bliss.

"Oh. Logan… did I mention that I'm afraid of heights?" she squeaked.

"Wha-"

She only had a moment to take in his surprise before she fell fast and hard, crashing into his big solid body with force, tangling in each other, snow flying. At least there was snow…

"See? That wasn't so bad, was it?" Logan groaned through clenched teeth, eyes squeezed shut in soreness.

"As far as near death experiences go, I've had worse." Marie's voiced, not entirely steady. "How did you know that I could do it?" she asked, her breath coming out in ragged little puffs of smoke.

"I believe... that underestimating you... would be a mistake." he huffed, chuckling. The feel of her lithe body sliding upwards against him, hips trapped beneath the apex of the smooth curve of her legs as she tried to gain balance igniting a reckless savage lust that stripped away his self-restraint. Sinewy arms held her captive. Her scent rising to torment him. Logan watched her face, conflicted.

"Rogue…" his words all gravel. Something intense flared through his entrancement. He sat up and she straddled his thighs, thick with muscle, his jaw tightened. And maybe his pants...

Marie's heart jolted and her pulse pounded, a tingling in the pit of her stomach. Brain unable to focus. Heat and power radiated off his rigid body. It was so damn potent, she felt like she would fly apart with the onslaught of infuriating raw physical need that defied all reason if he didn't touch her. Right fucking now. She clutched fistfuls of his shirt, dragging his mouth just barely shy of hers, eyes demanding his surrender. So sick of this dance, she was dizzy. The Wolverine loomed over her, brooding.

His smoldering gaze finally slid shut in ecstasy, fingers tangling in the thick silken mass of her hair and fused their bodies together. Logan growled, nearly maddened with want and welcomed her with an opened mouthed kiss. The falling snow melting in the air around them, sizzling on their skin.

 **Author's Note:** Have I mentioned lately that I love my readers/reviewers? Ya'll make my day. :) Feeling grateful.


	17. Fall

**Author's Note:** Hello, again lovely readers! I didn't forget about ya'll lol. I just wanted to take my time for once and make damn sure I did these two justice. Please let me know what you think! Sooo much love.

Song: watch?v=2r-JBk5b56U

She was so dizzy that she didn't realize he was lowering her onto the bed until she felt the mattress pressed against her back. It took her a ridiculously long time to figure out what was happening, or how they'd gotten there. She gasped as he partially covered her body with his. Breaking away from her mouth, Logan's eyes glowing with a savage inner fire, captured hers.

"I should stop." He whispered. His voice, thick and rough, sending delicious shivers down her spine and pooling warmth between her legs.

"It's ok." her hand cradled the back of his neck, caressing the tense tendons there with sensitive fingers. His burning hazel eyes held her still. "...I can control it." she whispered. Electricity seemed to arc through her. "Don't you dare stop." Rogue pleaded softly, her dark eyes unfathomable beneath her feathery lashes, nails digging into his back. She lay panting, her chest heaving. The tension increased between them with frightening intensity. A volcano on the verge of eruption. Her stomach clenched tight.

"I shouldn't be doing this…" Logan growled.

His last words were smothered on her damp, pleasantly bruised lips as he covered hers hungrily with his own, reaching for her hand above their heads resting on his pillow, tracing her bare fingers in a soft caress and intertwining them with his as he crushed her, his hips grinding against her. She let out a tiny mewl of pleasure and Logan groaned deep in his chest, swallowing the sound. She could feel the corded muscles of his chest against her breasts through the thin fabric of their shirts, her curves molding to the contours of his hard body like puzzle pieces.

His breath was hot against her cheek as he dragged his mouth away, grazing her earlobe. She moaned as she felt his tongue flick against it and trace down along her jaw. His free hand reached up, recklessly tilting her head back, trailing a series of slow, shivery kisses down to the pulsing hollow at the base of her throat, sucking, licking and gently nipping. His lips seared a path along the soft ivory flesh of her shoulders, sliding the fragile straps of her top down and out of the way of his assault. Blood pounded in her veins, leapt from her heart and made her knees tremble. The hot tide of passion raging between them both. She gasped in sweet agony as he cupped her breast greedily, fingers dipping under the edge of the lacey cup of her bra, lightly running his thumb over her dusty pink nipple, instantly hardening beneath his masterful persuasion. She never dreamed his hands would feel so warm, that such a feral man could be so gentle. She writhed against him, urging him on. She felt like she would shatter into a million glowing stars. She needed more. His hands became less tame, her hips rolling in response. He let out a tormented groan.

At last, reluctantly they parted and he held himself suspended above her, panting, marveling. Sure he would wake up at any minute. She could sense the barely controlled power that was coiled within him.

His jaw clenched, his eyes slightly narrowed, the rich outline of his shoulders straining. With great deliberation, he straddled her. His eyes raked boldly over her, the heartrending tenderness there making her pulse skitter erratically and her breath quicken, a rush of pink staining her cheeks. She was conscious of the occasional jolt of his thigh brushing her hip, setting her body aflame where he touched her.

"Please, Logan…" The sleek curves of her thighs rubbed together and she bit her lower lip hard, arching her back, eyelids fluttering shut, hair spilling over the pillow like shining glass. This was torture. She'd never wanted someone so badly it hurt, before. She couldn't stand it if he changed his mind...

"Please, what? You want me to stop?" He rasped, gold flecked eyes penetrating, awaiting her cue.

"Please, don't." Rogue felt as if her breath were cut off, her hand on her breast.

The underlying sensuality of her words captivated him. His mind told him to resist, but his body refused. His smile was the most beautiful thing she'd ever seen, as intimate as a kiss. His lips slowly descended to meet hers, caressing her mouth. She quivered at the sweet tenderness of it, drowning in the taste of him, pulling him to her, demanding that he never stop. She didn't think she would ever get tired of kissing him... His hand slid beneath the hem of her silken camisole across her flat, taut belly, his rough calloused fingers light and painfully teasing, before shredding it cleanly up the middle with a sharp *RIIIIIP*, shiney claw extended. Rogue gasped and propped herself up on both elbows, heavy lidded eyes glittering with desire and surprise, hair cascading around her shoulders, plump red lips parted slightly.

"Hey! ...Not fair."

Logan chuckled, his laugh low and throaty.

"What? You want me to cut mine off, too?"

The mystery in his eyes beckoned to her irresistibly and slowly Rogue sat up, shaking her head softly, head tilting, coy. She ran her hands sensuously up over the plains of his washboard abs, admiringly, savoring the feel of his rippling muscles spasming beneath her naked palm. Logan lowered his thick dark lashes, a low rumble reverberating through his chest. Marie dragged her finger along the neckline of his white wife beater, the barest thread of touch and slipped her fingers inside, tearing it off of him in one swift movement. Logan's jade-spoked eyes widened in surprise, she grinned.

"That's better." She dropped a kiss on his pec. " I want to feel your skin on mine… Are you afraid?" her voice had drifted to a hushed whisper. He took in a sharp intake of breath and stiffened at the feel of her lips on his body, amazed at the thrill she gave him. Logan stared wordlessly across at her, eyes hooded like a hawk, heart hammering like a freight train. His hands came down over hers possessively. The amusement died from her eyes and she regarded him with searching gravity, misunderstanding the gesture.

Logan couldn't bring himself to tell her the truth. That the only thing he was afraid of in this life was never being able to touch her again. Or that he knew that she'd had mutant suppressing serum. He hesitated, measuring her for a moment.

" _Come on, I'll take care of you."_

" _You promise?"_

" _Ya, I promise."_

"Wait."

His belt flew off in response. She promptly disengaged her hands. Something disturbing replaced the smoldering look in her eyes and they blazed with amber fire. Her mouth was as pale as the plains of her cheeks in the fractured moonlight. An oddly primitive warning sounded in the back of his brain.

" _No_."

Logan felt ice spreading through his stomach. A glazed look of despair began to spread over his face. He felt a wretchedness of mind he'd never known before.

"Rogue… This isn't you." He shook his head regretfully, two deep lines of worry creasing between his eyes. Cupping her chin, he searched her upturned face.

"Yes, yes it is me." Rogue's eyes were compelling, magnetic. She tried to pull him to her, her fingers biting deeply into the firm curves of his ass.

"No. Maybe, you oughtta take it easy. The professor said you might be… different." he choked around that last word, pushing back a wayward strand of her wild mane of hair with his knuckle, genuinely concerned.

Suddenly all pleasure left her face, a tremor touching her smooth marble like lips.

"He would know, wouldn't he. What? You think he's not in your head too? Look at you, Logan. He's tamed you." her eyes darkened dangerously, her accusing words stabbing the air. Logan's mouth dropped open as wave after wave of shock slapped at him, his mind floundered, his vexation evident. He ground his teeth together.

"Maybe you should talk to Jean. These are her powers. Maybe she can fix it..."

When he met her eyes he saw pain there flash light lightning. Her mood veered sharply to fury.

"I don't want to fix it."

She flicked her delicate wrist and without warning he sailed across the room into the dresser, landing with a thud, the mirror shattering under the force of his rock solid body. She rose in a fluid motion, putting on his leather jacket and reached next to him lazily taking a cigar from it's box, shards falling from the lid as she plucked one from inside. Her hips swayed in a hypnotic rhythm between where his legs parted and he still sat atop his mangled dresser, letting her hand slither up his steely thigh. She was halted by an iron grip on her wrist, his breathing ragged, muscle flickering angrily in his jaw. She paused for a moment, glancing at his hand and shook it off, plunging deep into the pocket of his crotch hugging jeans, beautiful slender fingers wriggling. The breath hitched in his throat, his eyes slamming shut, nose flared. She yanked his zippo free by degrees, lingering a moment too long. It caught the dim light as she lit the cuban hanging from her sweet curled lips. She snapped it shut with a *click* and threw it down among the wreckage. She quirked a brow, sauntering to the door.

"Call me." Rogue suggested casually over her shoulder in a sweet silky voice as the antique door opened for her, no hands necessary. His hazel eyes were riveted to her as she walked away. She didn't bother to shut it behind her.

He straightened to relieve the ache beginning in his shoulders, rubbing his neck and checking for blood, staring in disbelief, glass crunching under his ass.

"Holy shit… What the hell just happened?"

 **End Notes:** I hope that ya'll will trust me, I know it's hard to swallow for all you Rogan fans, but I PROMISE not to dissapoint! But tell me if you're mad at me, anyway. Or if you love it. Just tell me! lol your feedback keeps it alive! *mwah*


	18. Morning

Song: watch?v=lVEsROeqvUE

Rogue woke to the sound of breathing and curled into the solid warmth, only to have soft hair tickle her nose. She grinned, eyes still shut against the daylight trying to rudely protrude into her conscience. She swallowed, the taste of tobacco rough on her tongue and sniffed. Eyebrows drawn, the smell of pine, damp earth and clean air sharp in her nose.

 _Logan._

Her cold nose. And come to think of it, the rest of her was pretty damn chilly, too. Like, frozen chilly. Rogue blinked and slowly pulled away from the topaz eyes staring steadily back at her. Frozen. Yep, frozen in flat out, point blank, fear.

The wolf's nose was cold, too.

Author's Note: Sorry! I know that was short after such a long wait, but there's so much more to come! Gimme, gimme, gimme feedback! Love ya'll. *wink*


	19. Gone

Author's Note: See? Told you I'd be back! Lol because ya'll are the best, that's why. Love your feedback. More to come!

Song: watch?v=MQuuoD13Llw

Logan had a terrible tenseness in his body, his stomach turning with anxiety and frustration, sharp features clouded with uneasiness in the breaking daylight. He worked off his excess energy by pacing barefoot holes in the floor with strong purposeful strides, fists and jaw clenched. He was suddenly anxious to escape from the confines of the garish mansion. The walls nothing but a fancy cage.

Sleep had rightfully eluded him. Flashes of Marie writhing, her willing body tangled in his sheets, the sound of his name on her parted, breathless lips in the moonlight as she arched to meet him in the dark staggering his senses. And how she had turned… Just turned. Like a tiger that one day goes from playfully romping around with it's trainer to mauling him. And just as beautiful. And just as fucking deadly.

Logan braced himself against his mangled dresser, bristly hair sticking out in every direction, ignoring the hazards of the glass as he took in his shattered reflection. Once again, Marie'd left him in pieces.

He bared his teeth, the broad muscles of his golden shoulders straining against his rage as his fingers bit deep into the wood, cracking and splintering beneath his immortal hands. If there was any kind of an animal inside of her it was his doing. His knuckles ached against the urge to grow claws, the scent of her arousal still hanging in the air around him like a nice kick in the nuts souvenir.

The Wolverine's eyes fell on his Zippo, scattered amongst the wreckage, narrowing as the sun spilled in through breezy curtains and shed light on a dark truth. You play with fire…

But that was just like him. To barrel past all the warning signs with a smile and a fuck you, not caring what it meant for everybody else.

But not this time…

Logan reached for his duffel.


	20. Cursed

Song: watch?v=POwQagKtgdY&index=9&list=PLKK4T0Fm7nwG8giAPZTRLbYuWNOb_fXfl

Rogue slid the soft leather slowly from around her bare shoulders, her head rolling to the side. Her hair was wild in the light, falling into the valley of her back and between the peaks of her breasts. She pulled her wonderfully bruised lip between her teeth and bit down, sending an electric shock racing down her spine like a lightning rod, and traced her reflection in the vanity mirror, dark eyes filled with shifting stars and touched her lips, parted slightly in wonder. The barest breath of touch…

She remembered the raw power and hard lines of him beneath the sleek curves of her thighs. Trying to memorize him in the dark… And her heart fluttered in her chest, lashes kissing the warmth rising in her cheeks. The easy smile that played across the corners of her mouth held a spark of eroticism as she imagined it was his hands gently trailing to all the places she'd only prayed for, and remembering all the places they had that she'd never dreamed she'd ever want them to…

 _"Wait."_

The word stopped her cold.

Cold…

Is that why she'd woken in the woods in nothing but her bare feet, satin pajama shorts and his leather jacket? Had she gotten so drunk off of a few beers she'd jumped him, after jumping off of a balcony and blacked out? And he'd rejected her…

So she'd fled? Humiliated? Heart broken…

Her honey eyes stung with unshed tears and a hot knot formed tight in her throat. She turned and stepped over his beaten jacket and twisted the shower nozzle as hot as she could stand without peeling the paint off the walls. Or her cursed skin. Although…

She let her head fall slack against the slick tile, nose flared, pretending it wasn't tears she was washing away, but the animal. Even if she was grateful for it's warmth in the night.

But you didn't have to love someone to watch over them.

Right?

Maybe love was the curse.

Author's Note: Tell me what you think! Pleeeeease? *puppy dog eyes & pouty lip* Love ya'll. :)


	21. Deep

Song: watch?v=6C3ND1nitRs&list=PLWIQbSVrdmL89bOrXNTFeXVnodb2v9YdD&index=15

Rogue ran her fingers over his name, the metal cold and heavy in her hand. Like her heart.

LOGAN

Her breath hitched in her chest and she braced herself against the ache. What a fool she was. A little liquid courage and she literally lit the line that had always silently existed between them on fire. She'd done the unthinkable. Not that she hadn't thought about it. Dared to dream. Wished, hoped maybe…

She stared at her name etched in stone and wrapped her arms tighter around her, bowing her head against the frost biting her nose and sniffed, hair billowing around her, eyes stinging with… the wind. What a beautiful place this was. How surreal the past few days had been. She'd never been crazy enough to think her life was normal, but this?

How had she gotten here?

Not long ago she'd been the untouchable girl. Now everything she touched crumbled around her. Shattered. Bobby, Logan… Her life. Her heart.

She wished with the deepest part of her that the picture she stared at was real. She wished it'd ended there. Things were less complicated when she'd let that water swallow her. It'd hurt less. A hot tear escaped the mirror of her eyes as she placed his dog tags on the arch of her grave. She'd bury his promise there.

Like her love should've stayed buried.

"Nice jacket..."

 **Author's Note:** Dun dun duh... Reviews! Yes, yes, yes... please?


	22. Lost

Song: watch?v=58TBZnvyGwQ

Marie closed her eyes.

"Maybe I'm not such a big fan of the cold anymore." The words were velvet edged and quiet.

"That's funny. Because you seem pretty cold to me." Bobby's tone was accusing, but curious. Like a lost boy.

Rogue grimaced at his irony laced words but offered no reply, eyes riveted on the towering spruce trees lining the distance, not really seeing them.

"Rogue…"

"Don't. Please, don't…" she held up a delicate lily white hand halfheartedly and cast her eyes to the crystalline powdered ground, brushing a pearl lock of hair behind her ear, sniffling a little at the chill. She didn't know which was colder, the weather or the silence that engulfed them.

"He doesn't love you the same way that I do." The harsh truth echoed out around her, as etched in stone as the fate in front of her.

Her laugh was bitter as she threw her head back, choking around the sharp knife in her back. Recalling the heat in his frigid blue eyes that night that she'd caught him with Kitty, ice skating on the pond outside of her bedroom window. The way that he'd touched her. Longing gazes, playful nudges, gentle caresses… things the world took for granted that were deeply treasured, intimate things to her. Things that were far beyond her reach. Because her love was lethal.

"What are you doing here, Bobby?"

"The same thing you are. Lookin' for a girl I once knew."

Rogue locked her tears behind the prison of her lashes, and turned, tawny eyes frozen on Bobby's sensitive face. His classic boyish good looks suddenly made him seem so very young to her. She felt like she'd lived many different lifetimes. And with all the voices in her head, maybe she had.

"She's dead." Marie's jaw fluttered against the rogue tear that escaped down over the plane of her wind whipped cheek and came to rest at the curve of her sweet curled lips.

Bobby reached for her hand.

"So please… stop haunting me." He whispered, his blue eyes desperate and pleading as they searched her face for answers she couldn't give. He hesitatingly leaned toward her.

Rogue couldn't help it. Her walls flew up and she felt the old familiar warmth hum in her veins, like sparks on her skin, and the icy drag of power. His own thoughts joining the chaos in her head. Bobby's eyes bulged and he went starker than the country side, mouth open wide and gasped like a fish out of water.

"Then let me go."

Author's Note: I just want to take a second to thank everyone for your continual support and the time you take out of your day to show this story love. Your thoughts and opinions truley mean the world to me. Thank you, thank you, thank you! I couldn't do this without you.


	23. Tremble

Song: watch?v=5PDNqqzOnGY

"When an individual acquires great power, the use or misuse of that power is everything. Will it be for the greater good or will it be used for personal or for destructive ends? Now, this is a question we must all ask ourselves. Why? Because we are mutants. For psychics, this presents a particular problem. When is it acceptable to use our power and when do we cross that invisible line that turns us into tyrants over our fellow man?" Professor Xavier inquired of his sleepy first physics class of the day. Someone yawned in the back row, the early morning sunlight, warm and comfortable, dancing on their desk through the blinds.

"But Einstein said that ethics are an exclusive human concern without any superhuman authority behind it." Kitty Pryde spoke up from her seat, front and center, as always at the ready to challenge a professional theory with her quit wit. The Professor smiled indulgently.

"Einstein wasn't a mutant so far as we know. This case study was sent to me by a colleague, Dr. Moira Mctaggert-Jones."

He swiveled his chair around and hit the tiny play button on the remote he held in his hand. The class grew quiet, a select few raptly alert. A pretty brunette woman wearing a white lab coat came onto the screen. She was standing in what appeared to be a hospital room, next to a man hooked up to multiple machinery and a possible ventilator.

"The man you see here was born with no higher-level brain functions." she gestured. "His organs and nervous system work, but he has no consciousness to speak of." she froze on the screen with her mouth open, prepared to carry on her speech.

Charles circled back to his class.

"What if we were to transfer the consciousness of one person, say a father of four with terminal cancer, into the body of this man? How are we to decide what falls within the range of ethical behavior and-" he paused, his twinkling blue eyes suddenly going flat and unreadable as he stared off into the distance.

"Professor?" Kitty inquired with quiet emphasis, round eyes fixed on the doorway into the hall.

Charles followed her line of vision, coming to rest on Rogue, who stood there panting, doe eyes wild and desperate as they darted between him and Kitty Pryde. He searched the girl's face, reaching into her thoughts. The temperature in the room audibly dropped by several degrees. Marie swallowed, fists balling at her sides. Kitty's eyes grew apprehensive. The Professor swung back around.

"We'll continue this tomorrow. Class dismissed." He stated calmly, but matter-of-factly.

He focused on Rogue who visibly jumped back several feet to avoid the student's who flew out the door. Some curious and others just happy for the excuse to skip their morning lecture and braced himself.

 **Author's Note:** I know! Me and cliffhangers... *sigh* it's just who I am. Don't hate me! lol if ya'll are still with me. I hope so! Lot's of twists and turns ahead. Feedback is my favorite thing EVER. Just so you know.


	24. Unforgiving

Song: watch?v=bdtx1nF-Ki0

" _You're dead, you're so dead."_

" _You're dead." Rogue giggled as Bobby used their thumb wrestling shenanigans to slowly draw her closer to him, their eyes meeting. Bobby's darted back and forth between her lips and Marie held her breath as he tilted his curly blonde head ever so slightly. She slammed on the brakes just before..._

" _I don't want to hurt you." she murmured, the words playful, but the meaning was not._

 _He shrugged with all the false bravado of a teenage boy. He leaned in and lowered his voice._

" _I'm not afraid." he whispered, wrong head at the wheel. Risk be damned._

 _The snarl of a Harley engine growled from the mansion's drive. Rogue jerked her mahogany silver streaked head back, Bobby forgotten, completely missing the irritated disappointment written plain as day on the boy's face. Her face split into a wide grin as she lit up like a live wire and sprinted for the door. Bobby grit his teeth._

" _Logan!"_

 _She heard his full and masculine laugh as she flew into his arms like it was Christmas in July._

" _Ya miss me, kid?" he quipped, trying to reign in his own wolfish grin. Wouldn't do for his reputation._

 _She pretended to mull it over, letting him dangle._

" _Mmm, not really." but that smile, the one that belonged to him, never dimmed for a second._

" _Hmmm." he gave it right back._

Logan splashed cool water on his face and ran his big damp hands through his fierce bed head, as tame as he ever got, and roughly dried them before thrusting the towel aside. All restless, agitated, energy. He turned and rested them on his danger lines, drawing in a deep ragged breath, the stray drops on his wide chiseled chest glistening in the light, chops twitching.

Was he doin' the right thing here? Hell, did he even know what that meant? He'd always gone out of his way to avoid stupid things like moral dilemmas. One of the perks of being feral. He relied on his instincts. Which had been at war since the day he'd met Rogue. Things hadn't changed much since.

He whipped his unruly head around and froze, dark brows drawn deep in concentration. Soft footfalls. And the light fluttering of an erratic pulse. Like a hummingbird. Quick, shallow breaths and then nothing at all as the sound of footsteps ceased. The air was so thick with tension Logan's muscles were wound tighter than steel cables. The faintest scent drifted on the air conditioning. His nostrils flared, not daring to believe. For the first time, not sure that he wanted to.

Marie.

He was acutely aware of the gentle sound of rustling fabric, and went utterly still in the way that only a predator could. Sharp gold flecked eyes locked on the door as he relied on his heightened senses to paint him a picture of what lay on the other side. Unsure whether or not it was a pretty one.

She sighed, barely audible over the thundering in his chest, the one part of him that had always refused to obey his demands in her presence, and he grit his teeth against the urge to fling the door aside and let her wreak all the havoc on him she wanted. He deserved it. It was all his fault. In so many ways.

Maybe Wheels was right. Maybe the best thing for her was for him to stay as far away from her as mutantly possible. He heard a soft thump against the door right where her head would be. To hell with it. That was where he was headed anyways.

He closed the distance between them at a record pace and swung the door wide to reveal...

Storm? Blocking Marie's hasty retreat down the hallway.

"Logan, I wanted to talk to you about what happened in the Danger Room session yesterday, before we head down there. ...Logan? Is something wrong? ...Are you leaving?" her inquisitive brown eyes fell on his lumpy duffel bag sitting amongst the apparent war zone. But that's what love was, right? A battlefield.

 _...Love?_

 _Love..._

"Nightmare?"

Logan dodged Storm's bright spikey white head as what she said swung Marie's around and their eyes met. Something dark and wounded flashed in those innocent looking eyes. She clutched his leather jacket to her chest. And turned around and ran.

Sounded about right. His love was a nightmare.

 **Author's Note:** Here we are my lovelies. I tried! I really tried… lol. Now gimme all your reviews and nobody gets hurt! Jk. Sorta… Mostly. Just do it and you'll know for sure… :p


	25. Dogs of War

Song: watch?v=2tN875A3Bj8

Logan yanked on the tight black leather choking around his throat, grimacing when his thick, muscle bound arm protested for the very same reason. He growled, flexing his strong gloved fingers, lip curling over sharp white teeth when they squeaked. How fucking ridiculous. Leather _cat suits?_ Who's bright idea was it to make leather combat _cat suits?_ It must've been Storm…

He grew claws at the very idea, eyebrow jacking up at the small amount of freedom the satisfying shredding offered him. _Hm._ He wiggled his fingers thoughtfully.

He felt a cold stare boring holes into the side of his skull and twisted his neck around, as much as was possible, to see the Ice Prick kid staring at him like Logan'd personally pissed in his cheerios this morning. He cocked his grizzly head to one side and made a show of casually sharpening the foot long adamantium knives at his disposal as if he was preparing for their lesson.

*SKINKT* *SKINKT* *SKINKT*

Bobby's hands balled into tight fists, like tiny little ice cubes. Logan flashed a dangerous grin and retracted them, not worth his time, to go stand next to Storm as the last of the stragglers filed in from the locker rooms and gathered in a half circle around them, awaiting for their training session to begin. Logan's piercing gold green eyes darted to the door once more, stomach sinking like a stone.

No Rogue.

"Ok, class, today's lesson is team work..." Storm announced.

Logan squared his broad shoulders and a deep growl emitted from his chest when it squeaked, and threw a dirty look at Storm who was desperately trying to hide her mirth as she went over the new offensive tactics. Of course _she_ would look good in a fucking cat suit… His nostrils flared and he popped his claws once more. He didn't play well with others...

 **Author's Note:** It's all for you. *mwah*


	26. Burn

Song: watch?v=gR6sni1xyik&index=68&list=PLWIQbSVrdmL89bOrXNTFeXVnodb2v9YdD

" _Please, come in." Xavier's azure eyes were full of gentleness, pain, understanding and unquenchable warmth as he reached out to her with the sound of his voice, trying to give focus to the chaos rioting within her._

 _She heard sounds, muted and sharp at the same time, his words barely registering on her dizzied senses. Rogue fought to control the war of thoughts and emotions, not all of which her own, raging within her, bringing beads of sweat to her chilled forehead. She grit her teeth and took a step forward into the Professor's office, lip curled over her white teeth in a silent snarl, eyes growing large and liquid as the room suddenly grew uncomfortably warm. A wave of apprehension swept through Xavier's calm as his palms began to sweat, but he held fast and kept his voice steady, for both their sakes._

" _Shut the door behind you, if you will." his tone was heartbreakingly gentle._

 _It slammed behind her in reply. Rogue hadn't twitched. The air crackled around her, her fists clenched at her sides as she panted like a caged animal, utterly frightened. Of herself. And unmistakably dangerous._

" _Don't listen to them, Rogue. Don't let your powers control you. Just let me help you."_

 _Charles felt himself lift off of the well worn floor as books cascaded down around them, his knuckles going white as he struggled to hold on, both to his chair and to the fragile connection with her. Black veins lined the sharp features of her face, her flowerlike lips going ivory. The depthless pools of her eyes grew until they were simply a fiery black void beneath her brows and her voice came out in a silken hiss. She titled her wild mane of hair to the side in a purely predatory display._

" _What's wrong with me?" she said softly, eyes narrowing._

 _Xavier fought to speak against the raw force of energy emanating off of her in waves._

" _Rogue... you're a hero. You-are stronger-than this. Don't let them control you..."_

 _She blinked several times, the storm brewing beneath the surface stalling as she fell to one knee and brought a shaking fist to her temple, gasping around the sob ripping from her heaving chest. Xavier crashed to the floor, bouncing on his wheels as the shelves swayed to and fro._

" _I don't want to. I don't want to be evil... But… I don't know if I can be good. I can't-they won't let me! Please, make it stop! Make me stop... I don't want to hurt anyone else..."_

 _The Professor rolled towards her hesitantly and reached out, pulling his hand back when she yanked away from him as though he'd struck her. Marie felt, rather than saw, his shocked movement. Her breathing coming in shallow, quick gasps._

 __

" _I'm not going to hurt you. I want to help you. Please. This is your home. You're safe here. No one's going to hurt you. You have nothing to fear."_

 _She bared her teeth, eyes squeezed shut against the pain._

" _That's not what I'm afraid of..." Rogue rocked back, lifting her head, her voice though it quaked, was alarming. A broken thread of warning._

 _The Professor's gaze caught and held hers, blue eyes piercing the distance between them as tears trembled from her lashes. A muscle quivered at his jaw, mouth tight and grim._

" _You must trust me. Please, let me help you."_

 _Rogue remained absolutely motionless for a second, supple muscles tensed. Finally, she moved closer to him, burgundy head thrust forward, though her dark eyes remained wary. He offered her a reassuring smile as he placed both hands to either side of her temples, slower than the last time. Charles jerked, his back going ramrod straight as he threw back his bald head and his vision swam with images, thoughts, sounds, emotions and instincts barraging him from the most complex mind he'd ever encountered._

 _ **Logan: Do you trust me?**_

 _ **Me: With my life.**_

 _ **Logan: Wait.**_

 _ **Bobby: He doesn't love you the same way that I do.**_

 _ **Me: What are you doin' here, Bobby?**_

 _ **Bobby: The same thing you are. Lookin' for a girl I once knew.**_

 _ **Me: She's dead.**_

 _ **Bobby: So please… stop haunting me.**_

 _ **Me: Then let me go.**_

 _ **Jean: It's not your fault, you know.**_

 _ **Phoenix: See. Want. Have. Destroy.**_

 _ **Logan: This isn't you.**_

 _ **Magneto: Don't listen to them, my dear. You are a goddess. You don't need to be controlled. You can have anything you wish. You can do anything you wish. The world is at your feet. So take it!**_

 _ **Bobby: You were gone. Kitty's just a friend. Nothing happened!**_

 _ **Phoenix: Kill Kitty. Take Logan. Bring them to their knees and watch them burn.**_

 _ **Pyro: Burn. baby, burn.**_

 _ **Magneto: Yes, that's it, my dear. Show them what it's like to be controlled. Fight. Fight with us. You magnificent creature.**_

 _ **Logan: I should stop…**_

 _ **Me: It's ok. ...I can control it. Don't you dare stop…**_

 _ **Logan: Maybe you oughtta take it easy. The Professor said you might be… Different.**_

 _ **Me: He would know, wouldn't he? What, you think he's not in your head, too? Look at you, Logan. He's tamed you.**_

 _ **Logan: Maybe you should talk to Jean. These are her powers, maybe she can help you fix it...**_

 _ **Me: I don't want to fix it.**_

 _The Professor reeled back, panting, shock yielding to fury. He swiftly pulled the syringe from the interior pocket of his sharply pressed grey suit before Rogue had a chance to gain her bearings and stuck the needle into the side of her neck and depressed the plunger, injecting her with enough serum to hopefully last the day. He would need to get Beast down here immediately. Her powers were far too strong for the dosage he had on hand in the mansion, and went to work on rebuilding her shaky walls. And tweaking her memory. His heart twisted with guilt._

" _Damn you, Logan…"_

The heavy lashes that shadowed Marie's cheeks flew up as she became instantly awake. She drew a deep breath as she clung to reality and pressed her lips shut so no sound would burst out, forcing herself to settle down and breathe even as her heart hammered against her ribcage. She fought hard against the stinging tears. Why was she crying? Why did she want to scream? How did she get back to her room? Did Logan leave...

 **Author's Note:** Hi, guys. I know it's been awhile, but life happened and thanks to hurricane Harvey I've been stuck in the house for 3 days,  & of course the power waited to go out til I decided to take advantage of it and write. But at least I have a house to be stuck in that isn't under water. God bless all of you that aren't that fortunate, many of which are my family/friends. So here you go lovely readers. I hope you enjoy. & that you'll tell me either way! :)


	27. I Break My Heart

Song: watch?v=gR6sni1xyik

Rogue barely saw the students milling about around her as she made her way down the hallway, hair flaring out around her as she sped up, dodging bodies. Or trying to avoid leaving any. Maybe. She almost grinned and pulled her pouty plump bottom lip between her teeth as she fled down the stairs. Oh, to be so close, and yet so far away...

Something sharp bit into her thigh as she moved and she winced, feeling the warm trickle of blood drip down her thigh as she rounded the corner, heart leaping wildly beneath her breast.

Marie raised a delicate hand to the sleek curve of her throat for the slick comfort offered by the dog tags, but dropped it at the empty ache that awaited her instead. She gulped hard past the tears and slammed her eyes shut as she reached the deserted corridor, bracing herself against the smooth panel for comfort, feeling as if she could break through the barrier if she saw fit. Her shoulders heaved, suddenly overwhelmed by the torment of the past few… years.

Her nose flared and she rested her forehead against the mahogany, her hair a rippling curtain shielding her fear, rolling to the side. It didn't matter anyway, she was alone. Always alone.

And maybe that's how it should be. Swallowing the sob that rose, she slammed her palm into the hidden catch in the wall and dove into the dim lit passageway.

Rogue struggled to catch her breath as she stood on the edge of truth and tore at her clothes. Stopping to pull the sharp object from her restraining denim pocket. Stripping down to just her bra and panties, watching pieces of her swim before her eyes.

" _I love you."_

She let the water take her.

Author's Note: I know! It's been awhile. So here's a piece I managed to get out. I promise this is going somewhere. Thoughts welcome! And eagerly awaited lol.


	28. Make It Right

Song: watch?v=HGH-4jQZRcc

"Shadowcat, you seen Rogue?"

"A little while ago. She took off down to the lower level."

 _Huh, a little late, kid..._

Logan felt Kitty's eyes follow him all the way around the corner and quirked a brow, but didn't bother to turn. He took the steps two at a time, stopping just short of the bottom when he caught a scent.

Marie's. Twisted and mangled with copper. Blood. _Her_ blood. The Wolverine snarled and focused his senses on the trail to see if it was still fresh. Maybe five minutes old, tops. He listened for the tell tale sign of footfalls and pulses and frowned when it seemed that the corridor was abandoned, most of the students and staff at lunch at this hour. He picked up the pace, on high alert. Suddenly the only thing wafting on the air was the stale scent of the air conditioning and dust. He froze and sniffed, fine hair bristling along his spine, making his knuckles itch. She didn't just fucking vanish. Although, lately he might almost believe that she had.

He sidestepped, backtracking. Trying to catch the metal twang that burned on the back of his tongue and milk and honey, and sunshine and daisies that made his head swim. There. The fucking wall? Logan placed his large hands against the warm swirling woodgrain, searching for anything out of the ordinary. He knocked. A hollow echo answered. The wall was thinner here. Another secret passageway? Then where the hell was the release? He growled when the scent of rust and salt grew stronger, heart pounding in his ears and let loose his claws with a sing. He turned his hands palms up, elbows at the deep V of his hips and rammed them into the damn thing. It splintered, but held as he bent at the knee and violently threw his shoulder into it, heaving against the mechanics of the latch. He was rewarded with a clean _snap_ and the door rolled up with ease. Logan let it crack shut behind him, too deeply pissed off for subtle, long legs carrying him forward, shiney claws still extended, sinews bulging. Ready for whatever the hell had made the fatal mistake of making Rogue bleed.

 **Author's Note:** Thank you SO much for the feedback & love. It means the world, truly. It's been pointed out to me, several times, that I write in scenes. Instead of chapters. Like a movie script. Which I think it sorta fitting, considering where it comes from lol. So, That might explain my cliff hanger fetish. But hang in there! Logan/Marie coming soon! Already in the works. As always I eagerly await your opinion. *mwah*


	29. Fire and Water

Song: watch?v=2fngvQS_PmQ&index=81&list=PLWIQbSVrdmL89bOrXNTFeXVnodb2v9YdD

Logan stalked towards the eerie blue glow, shadows cutting the stone and across his chest, toying with him, hips rolling like a well oiled machine. Marie's blood no longer tinged the air and he suppressed a low guttural growl, uneasy, supple muscles tense, non existent nails biting into his palms. He cocked his head to the side, a slight hesitation in his hawklike eyes as he glanced back over his shoulder, eyebrow arching as his shit kickers left no sound. What exactly was it he was walking into?

The narrow passage began to widen here, darkness surrendering to light, spilling over him, and the smell became cleaner. Like… chlorine? Burning his nostrils. And a damp chill settled over his wide shoulders, making his skin slick and sticky, beading with anticipation and sweat. He paused, shaking his unruly head, trying to untangle his senses and calm his erratic pulse.

Where was she?

Rogue drifted to the bottom, bouncing, watching the bubbles swell and engulf her, things she'd never seen before playing along the surface like a movie screen. And voices echoed around her like ghosts.

" _Whatever your reason is that you're doing this, focus on that. Maybe it will help." the woman in the lab coat's kind words made little difference._

" _Trust me, I've been through worse."_

" _No. You haven't."_

 _He quirked a brow, unsettled, eyes falling on Stryker who smiled._

" _We're going to make you indestructible. But first, we have to destroy you."_

 _Logan dragged in a deep breath._

" _You remember what we were looking for in Africa?" the man sounded practically jolly considering the body count that little "expedition" had produced._

" _I remember." Logan growled, brows drawn._

" _Well, I found it." His grin made Logan think something wicked this way comes. His hair stood on end and his stomach turned. "It helped us create a metal compound so strong that you will be able to withstand virtually anything. It's called Adamantium." Stryker paused, suddenly unsure. "...You're going to have to embrace the other side. Become the animal." he whispered like a viper. "...I almost forgot." disturbingly enough, his voice almost sounded... loving. Like Logan was his child who'd brought home a Nobel Prize._

 _Logan glared at the ceiling._

" _I want new ones." he rumbled._

" _What do you want them to say?" Stryker whispered._

" _Wolverine." Logan ground out._

Metal flashed before Marie's eyes.

 _The steady thrum thrum thrum of helicopter blades filled his ears. The sound of switches flipping, heart monitors beeping in the distance. The apprehension as the cold water hit his spine and swallowed him by centimeters, and the whir of needles drilling intently as they submerged, suspended above his skull and key points all along his body. And the simultaneous pressure and the pierce stinging, and the flame that lit under his skin as his sharp golden eyes went wide and he thrashed against the blaze feeding on his bones as they slowly... grew... heavy… and he felt gravity reverse in pieces. His limbs no longer fighting the urge to rise above the restraints. And the wild fire raged on. Devouring him alive from the inside._

 _So... fucking... heavy. His heart hammered against his rib cage, desperately racing to beat the ravenous inferno, warring to keep pumping as the metal encased his bones like a tomb and held him under, and the agonizing pain mounted to peak at unbearable levels. Hell. This was the hell he deserved. The deep scream choking around the tube to escape, obstructing his throat. Until everything... went…_

 _The water swirled in mountainous walls around her and her face turned, tilted towards the sun. The roar in her ears deafening as she rose to meet the day._

Marie screamed until there was no more air in her straining lungs and it was silent. No more bubbles danced their way to the surface. No sun awaited her. Just the darkness. Just quiet. Just... peace. Finally, peace... She shut her eyes and welcomed the cold, embracing it like a long lost lover. Her mouth turned upwards in a smile.

Logan's boots stopped just short of the edge of what was clearly a man made cavern. A carved swimming hole lit from within by turquoise water taking up most of the expanse of the enormous rocky... room? Lapping at the faux beach incline beneath his soles. The light shifted, angling along a large cliff face. Several glass rooms glowed warmly beneath its arches in the stone wall directly across from him, partially obscured by a waterfall. Steps to the right with a metal rail angled and led down to where the water grew deeper and darkened in the middle.

His eyes narrowed, following the pool, stretching towards the deeper end and landed on the plush chocolate and beige wicker furniture that circled around a fire pit. More rock and stone. Above rested a giant flatscreen TV. To the left of that was a full polished limestone bar.

Logan snorted. Fucking rich people. He would never understand them. If they wanted to swim somewhere that looked like outside, why the fuck didn't they just go _outside_? It would be cheaper.

He sighed, muscles flexing as he went back on high alert and cautiously made his way around the perimeter. There didn't seem to have been any kind of a skirmish. Everything looked perfectly intact. A little _too_ perfect, quite frankly.

It hit him then. Her scent making his mouth water, his pulse race and his palms sweat. And the coppery twang of blood turning it bitter. He growled as his eyes fell on a pile of discarded clothing laying haphazardly at the lip of the lagoon.

 _Marie…_

 **Author's Note:** Hello again! Sorry, I know I promised sooner, but I decided not to get crazy and post a chapter in one night lol. I hope it was to my benefit. The next one is practically written, just a little tweaking involved. And quite frankly I've gone cross-eyed. And my 3 year old doesn't want mommy to write anymore today. So, If you're still reading this, I hope you enjoy it and you'll let me know! Pretty, pretty please! Stay tuned! I promise not to disappoint. Honest. :)


	30. Sirens

Song: watch?v=7PoIisbJ7HI

Logan's steps slowed as he pondered potential threat scenarios, jaw clenched beneath the shadow of his beard. His thoughts scattered at the sudden onrushing of sound. He pivoted, the beast within coiled to strike, in full battle mode, acute hearing straining. The unfamiliar echo at his back unnerving him more than he was comfortable with.

The Wolverine's golden green eyes darted around the cavern, torn between hostility and suspicion. They came to rest on air, ballooning to rise from the depths not three feet from where he stood.

He crouched, fluid, at the water's edge, left brow jacking up a fraction, and inclined his head to watch, silently waiting to see what lay beneath the surface.

The veil of froth parted to reveal Rogue.

He studied her very almost naked hourglass figure, curious, shimmering as the light played across her milky satin skin, long lithe legs still barely treading water. Her hair spilling out around her shoulders, down her back and around her face like ink streaked silver, haloing her in darkness and light. Her arms drifted lazily at her sides.

He saw no sign of blood or injury. And then the most peculiar thing happened…  
A tremor touched her smooth marble like lips and a gentle smile of enchantment held him utterly enraptured, claws unwittingly sheathing as he leaned closer still, sharp eyes piercing the mirror of his reflection.

What the hell was she doing here? How had she found this place?

...How long could she hold her breath?

He wasn't exactly a good judge of lung capacity considering he was practically indestructible and therefore couldn't drown. Not permanently, anyway. Unless he jumped in there after her and all that silky, exposed skin was turned on. That might kill him. Plus, he wasn't positive, but there was a pretty good chance that he'd sink. What with a metal skeleton and all...

Hmmm. He'd never met a siren before.

 _Come on, kid. Come back up…_

 _Any day now._

 _Maybe she hit her head…_

 _And then took her clothes off? No…_

 _What the hell is she doing? Shit…_

 _Shit, shit, shit… Fuck. I really hate the water…_

Logan felt a momentary panic settle in his chest as fractured images of mad scientists and watery graves struck him like lightning, flashing through his mind and launched himself head first into the drink, teeth bared, eyes open and burning like hell as he clawed himself down to her with wide frantic strokes.

*The words ball and chain…*

He was used to moving with a swift, easy grace and virility and the damn water confirmed what he'd feared, slowing him down and dragging him beneath its depths. Too fucking slow... He grimaced and clawed at the water with a desperate fierceness, praying it wasn't deeper than he was tall. Or they'd both drown before he could pull her to safety.

For a moment he thought she was looking back at him and he froze, waiting to see if she would make it out on her own. But then realization wrapped its icy cold hands around his throat, choking him. Her dark gaze had lost all it's mischievous stars, empty, as she drifted.

Logan suddenly moved on instinct, faster than he thought was physically possible and forced himself forward off of the smooth limestone bottom, bracing himself on the balls of his feet. Slipping slightly in his rush, he stretched his arm out recklessly, strong hands circling her waist and dragged her hard back against him, lifting her, and used the same technique to propel them to the surface. He was gasping for oxygen when they broke, her head lolling to the side in the crook of his neck as he spit water, grateful she'd be close enough to the middle he could touch and finally pulled her to the steps, cradling her protectively against his body, heart hammering. She seemed so small… And so cold.

He fell to his knees when they were free of the stairwell and laid her down, straightening her still body carefully. He tilted her head back and dragged in a deep breath and gave it to her, praying to feel the tug of her power trading his life for hers. Anything...

She didn't move.

"Marie! ...Marie! Shit, kid… Open your eyes. Come on…" he shook her slightly. "Open your fuckin' eyes, Marie. Damn it, breathe! Just breathe." Logan started CPR. "Damn it. Open your eyes! Please..."

He pumped her chest, grimacing, his anguish almost overcoming his control as he tried to reign in his strength in fear of snapping her fragile bones, but desperate to bring her back reguardless.

"Don't you fuckin' do this to me! Do you hear me? Don't you fuckin' dare do this to me. Come on..." he exhaled into her lungs again and compressed harder, faster. In. Out. In. Out. Breathe. Breathe. His heart refused to believe what his mind was telling him…

"Please. Stay with me... Come on."

Her chest expanded with his air once again and Logan bowed his head, resting his forehead against hers, squeezing his eyes shut, brows drawn together in an agonized expression as he felt her throat for a pulse. He took her chin in his hand. So small in his hand…

Reflected light glimmered over her delicately carved features like beams of icy radiance. She looked serene and beautiful. He dropped a soft barely there kiss to her blue lips, hot tears falling on her cheeks, and bit back the deep sob that ripped apart his insides. He shook his head and swallowed hard, rocking back.

"Shit, kid. Fuck!"

He slammed his fist into the ground over and over, his other cradled her in his lap as he trembled, buried in the thickness of her hair.

"I'm sorry, kid. I'm so fuckin' sorry…"

Without warning her shoulders jerked and she heaved, rolling to her side where she rested on Logan's thighs, as water purged from her fiery lungs and rough coughs racked her body.

"Holy shit. Marie! There ya go, baby, let it all out. It's ok." He slapped her heartily on the back. She took deep breaths until she was strong enough to raise her head, bleary eyed. "It's ok. Your ok. I got ya." After a moment she curled into him gasping for air and shaking, teeth chattering. Her breasts rose and fell under her labored breathing. He could feel her heart thudding against his own.

"Logan?" she rasped in a raw and broken whisper.

He let out a half hysterical laugh.

"Shhh. Hey, ya, I got ya. It's ok."

He closed his eyes.

 **Author's Note:** Sorry it took forever. This chapter kinda turned into 3. Aaaand it sorta confused me lol. My own thoughts, go figure. But anywho, PLEASE review anyway! I'm starved for reviews. Poor me lol and stay tuned for lots more! P.S. LOVE ya'll! :)


	31. Fate

Song: watch?v=vO30b_SxLzE

"Shit, Rogue… What the hell do you think you're doin'! Do you have a fuckin' death wish?" Logan's extraordinary eyes blazed down at her, lit from within with a sudden fury.

"Do YOU?" There was a critical tone to her voice as she roughly thrust him away and pushed herself unsteadily to her feet. She moved without haste, but with stubborn unhurried purpose.

Still, she blinked, feeling lightheaded and stumbled slightly, her weakness and Logan's quick animosity making her fit to be tied. He rose swiftly and caught her abruptly by the elbow. She yanked free. He glared.

"The hell does that mean?" he ripped out the words impatiently, walking the line between derision and sympathy. He put a massive hand up to rub the drops from his mouth and nose and shook his wild head, spraying the slippery slate.

"It means that I nearly killed Bobby this mornin'!"

Anger had added shine to her eyes and color to her cheeks. He wasn't sure if those were tears that clung to her lashes or pool water. He wavered, caught off guard by her revelation and shut his mouth, momentarily rebuffed.

"Oh, and I found this." There was no vestige of sympathy in her hardness as she held up a shiny piece of metal between her fingertips, daring him to deny it as it caught the light. He froze, solid as a Greek statue. Something flickered far back in his eyes like heat lightning, raising gooseflesh along her dripping bare skin.

"Where did you get that?" The deep rumble, though quiet, held a warning, like an ominous storm lining the distant skyline.

"That's not an answer." Rogue's voice faded, losing what little steel it had.

"Give it to me." Logan's face was stone beneath the dark wisps of hair that fell forward and clung to the moisture on his damp forehead.

She lifted her chin in defiance, her eyes filled with a fierce sheen.

"No." she retorted with calm, cold scorn.

"Rogue…" Logan's manner was commanding, with the appearance of someone who demanded instant submission. His stance emphasized the force of his thighs and the slimness of his hips, the muscles rippling under his white shirt, clinging to his perfect male form, yard wide shoulders straining against the sodden fabric.

She felt screams of frustration scratching at the back of her throat, beyond intimidation as this point, fists balled tightly at her sides.

"Why the hell won't anybody tell me the fuckin' truth around here!" The accusation rang out around the cavern like a gunshot. Logan stiffened at her newfound hair trigger temper as though she'd fired the bullet herself, and struck him point blank in the chest, her outcry unleashing something inside.

"So, you thought you'd find it at the bottom of a fucking pool?" he snarled.

White knuckled and nose flaring, he hung on to his sanity for dear life. He'd never felt anything like this before… Not even close. At least, not that he had any memory of. Unfathomable rage, terror, guilt, sorrow, joy… the unbearable desire to drink from the rivers running down her skin and taste every inch of her, to mark her with his teeth and warm her flesh with his own… all singing through his veins, protruding from the bulk of his arms, his breathing shallow as if he was half mad and wanted to pounce and drive his deadly claws into something, anything more tangible than his fucking _feelings_.

She was unmoved by Logan's hostility and showed no signs of relenting. She would not be put down by this massive bullheaded brute. Not even one with abs like those. Closer to an unfinished sculpture than a real person… Chiseled into that second skin he was trying to pass off as a shirt… Straight out of an action movie…

His arresting good looks nearly derailed her ire.

"Don't change the subject." She retorted accusingly, letting all pretense fly to the wind.

His mouth twisted wryly as he sized up this tiny, saucy southern girl, brave enough to take him head on without flinching. And probably the only person in the world who could…

"Ok. You want the truth? Some things are better left the hell alone, Rogue." He pointed at the ground, emphasizing his speech.

His contemptuous inflection sparked her own bitterness, and it spilled over into her argument.

"You mean like me?" she crossed her arms defensively across her chest, shivering. She was no longer sure if it was from her frazzled nerves or the chill.

"Like whatever the hell's got you sitting at the bottom of the deep end going for the fucking world record! Like…" he let out a long audible sigh, lips thin in aggravation. He hung his hands on the waistband of his jeans. He grit his teeth, battling for dominion over his animal nature, roaring at him to keep her safe no matter what it cost him. Even if that meant lying to her. Or tying her up and throwing her over his shoulder until Jean's insane alter ego took a hike.

Or… walking away. And never looking back.

He threw his hands up, enraged, and lowered his gruff voice. "Like me, Rogue."

"So, that's it, huh? You think that I regret gettin' offa that jet? Shoot." He mimicked his hands on his hips with false bravado. "Last time it sucked me clean out a big hole. Figured I'd leave willingly next chance I got." She drawled with a demure smile.

His aloof coldness was evidence that he was not amused.

"No. I don't think you regret it. I think you'd do it again. And again, and again! That's the fucking _problem,_ Rogue!" Logan grated harshly, trapping her arms in a vice like grip that dug deeper as fear of losing her made him more ferocious and gave her a little shake. "I'm no good for you! I'm not whatever the hell it is you think I am!" recovering, he turned her loose, guilt ridden. When he spoke again, his voice was tender, but edged carefully with control. "…And I'm sure as shit not worth dyin' for." He shook his head, pleading with her to understand.

A black silence surrounded them.

 _What about your promise?_ The Wolverine growled, viciously rattling the bars of his cage.

 _This is the only way that I know how to keep it. So, shut the hell up._ Logan snapped back.

The Wolverine lunged at him, slashing, gnashing and snarling. He threw his head back and howled… as his heart broke.

Rogue dropped her lashes quickly to hide the hurt and longing that lay naked there and inclined her head ever so slightly, nodding.

"Ya know, I could say the same thing, Logan. You don't wanna be the hero?" her voice was soft, low and silvery, only a tiny rasp hung on her words, and drew a step closer to him. "Then go." She clutched at his giant paw of a hand and dropped the heavy adamantium bullet into it, and folded his long calloused fingers around it. She stayed absolutely still for a moment and gently shrugged in mock resignation. "I won't ask you to stay." She raised her chin, eyes critical, with a coolly impersonal tone and backed away. "Not this time." She turned on her heel without waiting for an answer. She could feel his sharp eyes boring into her as she released him from whatever it was that he thought he owed her.

The muscles in his forearm hardened as he gripped it tight, until he felt the all too familiar warm, slick evidence of blood soak his hand and slip between his knuckles.

"If I'd listened you wouldn't have had to be one." Logan's confession sounded hollow, like the echo from an empty tomb.

Rogue stalled in her steps, but refused to go back. She wouldn't beg someone to love her.

She made her way to the bar and fell into a stool on wobbly knees, and reached behind the counter and came up with a dusty bottle of Jim Beam and a tumbler. She unscrewed the lid, threw it on the counter, and poured herself a generous serving. To hell with the legality. She tipped her head back and drank, bringing her shaking fingers to her lips at the bite and coughed slightly, throat still a little raw, glistening eyes fluttering closed. Little by little, warmth crept back into her bones.

Logan hesitated, but inevitably trailed behind her, terrified to face her but unable to turn away. She didn't have to turn around to know that he was there, just heaved a small affronted sigh and set the bottle between them when he straddled the seat next to her. It creaked beneath his weight. He reached out and took a hefty swig, jaw tensing. They sat silently for a long time.

"Are you hurt?" He finally asked voice all gravel from anger, water and whiskey.

Her mouth twisted ruefully.

"That adamantium cuts pretty deep."

His eyes darted to the slice running along the creamy expanse of her thigh and grimaced, trying to keep himself from chucking the bottle at his reflection, scowling back at him, behind the fancy liquor shelf.

"I'm guessin' healin you won't work…" he took another swig, to ashamed to meet her eyes.

The alcohol and lack of oxygen had loosened her inhibitions a bit as she swiveled to face him in all of her half naked glory. She found herself studying his devilishly handsome profile, rugged and somber, an air of isolation about his tall figure as he scrutinized the label. She could feel the power radiating off of him in waves even as he was still.

"I'm willin' to give it a shot if you are." She grinned, possibly a little crazy, just to see his reaction.

Logan swung his head around, her half serious invitation a passionate provocation. Hard to resist…

His luminous eyes riveted on her face, then roved lazily over her body, slow and seductive, the shapely beauty of her taunting him. He could no longer deny that she wasn't the breathless girl of seventeen he'd picked up hitch hikin' the back roads of the Canadian wilderness so long ago.

Marie tried to assess his unreadable features. Despite his closed expression, she sensed his vulnerability. He took a pull and held it as silence hung between them, and damn him, made a really fucking bad decision. But if he was being honest with himself, he'd never really had one to begin with.

He curled one beautiful finger in her direction, motioning her to him, face impassive. The amusement died from her eyes as she regarded him with searching gravity. Her whole being seemed to be filled with waiting, the only sound her wildly beating heart.

She stepped down and sauntered towards him, feeling impaled by his steady gaze, the smoldering flame she saw there startling her. It was too easy to get lost in the way he looked at her… She was so close she could feel the heat emanating from his rock hard body, allowing him time to stop her, before sliding one long sleek leg over his steely thigh, and then the other, tucking her curves neatly into his own contours.

Logan slid his eyes from where the light rippled over her ivory cleavage, barely covering her with the nude lace, and drug in a deep breath through his nose as she threaded her fingers through his dark unruly mane, a wry but indulgent glint shadowing his eyes. She leaned forward, their breath mingling as she paused, still unsure. He growled and she felt it reverberate through her, giving her chills making warmth pool between her parted thighs and pulled her down to him in a raw act of possession.

His lips melted as they parted under hers and she dipped her tongue in, swirling it around his, teasing, exploring and playfully ran it along the ridge on the roof of his mouth. A shiver rolled down his spine and he crushed her flush against him, his Chief belt buckle digging into her flat, taut belly. At least, that's what she thought it was…

He cradled her neck and tilted her head back as she swallowed. Burning, warm and liquid, the high and the heat making both their blood run hot nothing to do with the bourbon. The Wolverine's eyes glowed with emotion as he slowly slid her bra strap off her snowy shoulder, testing her flesh with his teeth and lavishing a kiss there, and let it fall down her arms. He raked the hollows of her back softly. Digging his fingers into her waspy waistline, he ground her against him and she inhaled sharply when she realized that that was definitely NOT his belt buckle stabbing her in the belly button. His greedy hands continued trailing down over the curve of her hips, hooking his thumbs in the side of her panties and nuzzled her throat.

Her body felt as if it were half ice half flame. Instinctively, she arched into him, bracing herself on his broad golden shoulders, panting, nails gouging, eyelids slipping. He let out a tormented groan and his claws sang free. He pulled back, embarrassed, and turned his head away, staring between his knuckles, brows drawn.

Rogue was entranced by the silent sadness written on his face. She reached out and touched his claws in a wistful gesture.

"You do have healin' hands, Logan." Her whisper was barely above a breeze.

"These are killin' hands, Marie." His rich timber thick and repentant.

She saw where he'd smeared the blood on the sullied denim. A raw and primitive grief overwhelming her, she stained the patch as her tears fell and interlocked their fingers.

"No more than mine are, darlin'. The ugly truth of it is, for people like us, sometimes we have to do bad things for the greater good. It's who we are. It's why we're born this way. There are so many things in this life worth fightin' for, Logan. Protecting people _doesn't_ make you a monster… And if we don't fight… who will? Besides, some people just need a good ass kickin'."

When Logan lifted his ocher eyes, pain still lingered there. He shook his head regretfully and covered her full soft mouth with a savage intensity. Hungry and urgent, the kiss was like the soldering heat that joined metals, forcing her lips apart with his thrusting tongue and a demanding mastery. Soul searching, pure and frenzied. Rogue moaned into his open mouth and he pulled away, gasping. He laid his head on her bare chest, her heartbeat throbbing against his ear. It was the most beautiful sound he'd ever heard. He was surrounded by her scent, dizzy and damn near star struck. So fucking grateful that she was alive. And his. Finally… _his._ Rogue's breasts tingled under the roughness of his sideburns and stubble. He retracted his claws and lightly grazed her rosy pink nipple with his forefinger, his ardor surprising, touchingly restrained. She sighed and rested her head on top of his.

"The only time it hurts is when I can't touch you." Logan muttered in a low pitched rumble.

For a moment she was too emotion filled to speak. The feeling completely, so far, surpassing just carnal desire. She stroked his hair, smoothing it to no avail.

"Then please, don't ever stop…"

"I think it's too late. I don't think that I can…"

And it was. The moment their eyes had met in that bar in Laughlin City he'd known, his fate had been sealed for him. He dropped a kiss to her other nipple and pulled it between his teeth, sucking and twirling his tongue around it until it was diamond hard. She hissed and held on to him, throwing her head back and undulating in his lap.

"Rogue…" he growled, breath hot against her wet skin.

"Mmm." She whimpered, lost.

"You owe me a detention…"

 **Author's Note:** Drumroll for the good stuff, please! Review  & I'll post faster. Honest! Really... What? I will... lol Scout's Honor. :) Ya'll are the best!


	32. Set Me Free

Song: watch?v=Hr9TaQw-L-M

Rogue's neck jacked back up from where her chin had dropped to her chest, his closeness like a drug, lulling her to euphoria. She could barely remember where she was. Her brows drew down in a frown and confusion closed her mouth. The sweetly intoxicating musk of his body overwhelming her, upsetting her balance. As he bent his head down, somewhere far away, her pride told her she should fight him off. Trouble was, she didn't want to push him away. She only knew that she was going to die if he didn't get inside of her. Right now.

To hell with it. If they could do this in detention, count her in. Rogue's breast surged, pushing up against his wickedly hot mouth as he drew her budded pink nipple in, sucking savagely. He swirled his tongue in a leisurely spiral, traveling along the crease on its underside to her sternum and ran it up to the hollow at the base of her throat and clamped down. She gasped, unable to control her outcry of delight as he dug his fingers into her hips and held her still. Rogue's head fell back, her hands coming around the back of his head, holding him to her as her legs opened wide and she ground against the ridge in his zipper.

In response, he growled testing her flesh with his teeth, his arm circling her waist and crushed her to him, her lips quivering in unspoken passion, the calloused fingers of his other hand ravaging the nipple of her unplundered breast.

"Logan…" she whimpered, dying to know what else he could do with his tongue and those hands... The degree to which she responded to him stunning her.

He released her and she heard him inhale, his skin glistening as his lungs were filled and his chest expanded. The scent of her arousal hit him so hard it would have brought him to his knees had he not been sitting down already. He groaned again, blood pumping like he was in a dead out run, his erection throbbing like it had it's own heartbeat. She reached down and grabbed at his tshirt, trying to pull it up and over his head. The teasing glimpses of his golden marble body not nearly enough to satiate her. She wanted to take all of him in.

He raised the bulk of of his thick muscle bound arms and allowed her as she dipped her dainty hands beneath the hem and ran her nails lightly up over the corded ridges of his steel abs, twitching beneath her burning fingers as she grazed his nipples as they danced over his pecs. He let out a deep tortured sound at the back of his throat, the shirt dropping to the floor in a fleshy flop. Breathing hard, his head came down, eyes intense beneath heavy lids as he assessed her. The expression on his face was odd. Open and vulnerable, nuances of emotion chased each other across his features. Tenderness mixed with ravenous lust... delight with fear... She gazed steadily back at him, lips parted, damp and warm, the glowing image of fire, passion, and trust. And impatience.

She tilted her head up in mute invitation to meet him in a moment of uncontrollable desire as he kissed her again, harder than ever, devouring her mouth, skin to skin, while her hands explored his broad back, familiarizing themselves with every muscle and vertebrae as she yielded to the searing need that had been building since the day they'd met, her core blooming for him as her heart almost burst from love and anguish. She was so fucking tired of waiting. She wanted him now. He explored her smooth, creamy inner thighs, outlining the lace lining her panties with his thumbs as she bucked against him, quivering in his lap.

"Damnit, quit trying to kill me…" she begged in soul drenching drafts.

"What do you want me to do, Rogue?" he rumbled hot against her ear as he trailed a series of slow, shivery kisses along her jaw, her fragrant hair tickling his nose. "This?" He flicked his thumb out, stroking her clit and locked back onto her gasping mouth, swallowing her cry of ecstasy as she succumbed to the forceful domination of his lips and came closer, offering her body to him, desperate. He growled and nearly came right then and there as she returned his kiss with reckless abandon and he popped both sets of his claws, cleanly severing her damp satin panties on both sides.

Her lashes flew up, surprised and she sat back, completely exposed beneath his gaze. He stopped, panting, and withdrew his claws, afraid that he'd frightened her. She gulped, trying to catch her breath, heart thundering as she paused for a moment, seeming to make a decision. She hesitantly reached for his hand. Logan followed the motion with his eyes and made no motion to retrieve it, curious, utterly at her mercy at this point.

She drew it to her full red pout, which she ran feather light over his knuckles and her lids slipped shut. Logan didn't dare move as his pants tightened even further, unbearably so, his shaft about to bust through the wet denim. She brought the soft arch of her flushed cheek to his roughened palm and leaned into it, tilting her chin up and locked eyes with him. Logan wasn't sure if he was still breathing.

She pulled her bruised bottom lip between her teeth and slowly drew his massive square hand down over the arc of her slender peach tinted cream throat, exposing it to him, and delicately across her collarbone, never taking her eyes off of his, and continued trailing it down over her firm jutting breast and used him to massage the round globe, fingers grazing it's peak as it drifted down over her ribs. She bit back a moan and Logan wasn't sure, but he wouldn't be surprised if his tongue was hanging out the side of his head. His dick twitched painfully and his head swirled, lost. The whole world could go to hell if it liked. There was only Rogue. His Rogue.

She splayed his hand out on her flat, taut belly, taking up all the space between her hip bones and his heart stuttered. His jaw tensed visibly and he swallowed, a hot ache in his throat, mouth dry, nose flaring.

"I want you to do it again." she rasped softly, dark, her voice crushed velvet. Beautifully broken.

A swatch of dark hair fell casually on his forehead as pleasure softened his granite like features, a glint of wonder in his eyes and he covered her hand with his own and guided her between her parted thighs, never breaking contact with her eyes. Her look was so galvanizing it sent a shiver rippling down his spine. She gasped when she felt him draw her fingers down to rest lightly on her outer folds.

"Show me." he rumbled, simmering with barely checked passion.

Head dropping to her shoulder, nipples peeking from beneath her silken waves, heaving as she breathed and he watched her draw herself open slowly and bare her most delicate, sensitive flesh. He took a deep intake of breath. She felt him spread her even wider. When she dipped her forefinger down to flick against her clit she couldn't stop herself from crying out, marveling at how unbelievably hot her body was. Hot and wet. His large paws took her face and held it gently.

"Don't close your eyes. Look at me." he whispered huskily.

As though his words released her, she gave herself freely to the fire that he lit deep within her. Rogue flicked at herself again, and once more, teasing herself mercilessly before she relented and began to stroke her flesh the full length, relishing the hunger she saw in his eyes. She gave up trying to hold back her cries, each one seeming to push him farther past sanity. She imagined him kissing the insides of her thighs, finding her sex with his mouth. Licking her. Darting his tongue inside. She opened her lips and moaned in frustration.

"I need you. Please... Touch me."

Logan's control snapped.

His lips found their way instinctually to hers and she felt buffeted by the winds of a savage harmony as he slid one finger inside of her. She was so fucking tight she bit his lip in resistance.

"Rogue…" he moaned against her mouth.

" _Yes,"_ she heard herself reply. Her voice sounded like a stranger's. Logan tried to reign himself in slightly. She was so small. And no part of him met that requirement. Rogue growled in response.

"Don't." she implored him with her eyes.

She felt his finger curl slightly, pressing up against her inner walls and a spasm of intense pleasure shuddered through her body as he outlined the tip of her breast with his other and she nodded. Her vision disintegrated and she didn't even hear her own cry of pleasure in response, although she knew she'd made it.

He began to stroke her in and out, pressing up against her pubic bone with every pass while he continued to ravish her mouth, her neck, her breasts, whispering his love for each part of her body as he went.

Rogue could hardly breathe. Waves of pleasure crashing over her, so intense they were almost painful as he flicked her clit with his thumb once more. Blood pounded in her brain, leapt from her heart, and made her knees tremble. Her voice was rising, crying out for release, her passion spurring him on as his expert touch sent her soaring to even higher levels of ecstasy. A bright flare of desire sprang to her eyes and her senses reeled as if short circuited, an electric shock scorched through her body, exploding in a downpour of fiery sensations as she was hurtled beyond the point of return.

Distantly, she could hear her own voice screaming her pleasure, screaming his name while her body came wildly for him. Her consciousness seemed to ebb and flame more distinctly than ever as she collapsed against his chest, nuzzling him, still blinded by stars. She felt his hand brush the hair back from her neck and she vaguely felt his supple muscles tense.

"You ok in there?" Logan murmured a little while later. Cupping her chin, he searched her upturned face. He titled his brows, staring down at her uncertainly. There was a deeper significance to the visual interchange.

She swallowed and nodded, letting her breathing catch up with itself. "Wow," she finally managed.

Logan exhaled a long sigh of contentment and laughed, deep and reverberating, dropping a kiss to her forehead. And then pressed her lips to his, caressing her mouth heartbreakingly gently as he spoke.

"Yeah…"

"Hey, Logan. I bet I can get out of detention…"

"Oh, yeah? How's tha- Hey! That's cheating… Oh, fuck it… don't stop… mmmm. Fuck, Rogue… Where the hell did you learn how to do that?"

Joy bubbled in her laugh.

 **Author's Note:** Plot? What plot? Logan and Rogue are _busy_ , damnit! Long overdue. Review's are still my favorite. And ya'll are still the greatest!


	33. Stay

Song(s): watch?v=z-Jsc8TmcAU

watch?v=tGr_cyThHkc

"Ya know, this would work a whole lot better if your pants were off." Rogue smiled against his clavicle as she spoke, dropping a kiss there, soft as a butterfly, and grazed her teeth along the tendon that ran up his neck, swirling her tongue around the vein that climbed it, the taste of his skin making it difficult to stay coherent, her fingers tangled in his hair. She marveled. It was so much softer than she ever would have thought possible. She raked her nails lightly over his scalp and down the column at the base of his skull. He made a sound like an engine purring, leaning back into her subtle manipulations. His face split into a staggering grin that deepened into laughter, making the breath catch in her throat. It made him seem ten years younger when he did that. She sighed, sending a shiver through them both and unfastened his belt with a curious mastery.

His laugh broke off, a spark of some indefinable emotion lighting his eyes. He lifted her up as he stood, hitching her still quivering thighs around his danger lines. She rested her wrists on his slick shoulders and drew back, watching him closely. He could feel her preparing to fight him if he tried to balk again. He wouldn't. Not now. She'd won. He belonged to her, and he was about to show her just how much. But he had to do this right...

Logan welded their mouths together before she could rally quick enough to protest. _This_ was where he wanted to drown. In her. He could never tire of this... Cradling her head in his big paw, he carried her around the waterfall to the cabana shaded beneath. He placed his knee between hers to brace his massive frame and gently laid her down on the tufted duvet. The warm glow played across her breasts as she arched her back, impatient to feel his body follow her down. Logan changed his mind. Maybe, rich people weren't so bad after all…

His stare burned down into her, blazing with amber fire in flat out amazement. She propped up on her elbows, tilting her head, her mahogany hair spilling over her shoulders, tinting the air with her tempting scent and dropped back to the comforter, hands over her head. She moaned and exposed her throat to him. The animal within him howled in triumph. One delicate hand rested at her furrowed brow and the other reached down to coax more breathless sounds from her lush parted lips as she kneaded her abused nipple. Her eyes were dilated, filled with shifting stars, her body undulating in a sexy wave, impatient. Logan's grew wild. She was completely without artifice. He loved it…

 _Love_. There was that word again… Was this love? Was this what love felt like? He had loyalties. Experienced comradery, perhaps. But he'd never _loved_ another human before. Not that he was aware of. Then again, he'd never felt the way that she made him feel before... His brows knit together.

Rogue traced his perfect contours, silhouetted against the cascade of water at his back, from beneath feathery lashes, and hooked her little foot behind the crook of his knee, grabbing his loose buckle and leather and tugged, urging him down on top of her. He fell willingly, settling between her legs. The only place he ever wanted to be again.

"You don't have to be so damn careful." She drawled, voice dripping like honey against the straight shot of his jawbone as she nipped him and dug her nails into his shoulder blades, drawing blood as she rubbed her aching core against his caged member. He could feel just how wet she was through the denim and Logan's eyes damn near rolled back in his head in delirium as he bit back a snarl. He clamped back down on to her throat as his skin knit back together, tracing his earlier path in reverse, less gently this time, and continued over her ribs and abdomen. She squirmed, sucking her reddened bottom lip between her teeth.

He grinned wickedly against her silky skin. She was ticklish. Logan flicked his tongue, dipping into her belly button and circled it. Rogue cried out, trying desperately to drive him where she _needed_ him to be. He held her still as she bucked and tried to tether herself to sanity with a handful of cotton comfort. She had no idea these feelings even existed. And now they were going to kill her. She was going to die from insatiated lust… Go figure.

She squeezed her eyes shut. Logan surprised her when she felt his lips touch down on her hipbone. First one, and then the other. Tiny noises escaped from the back of her throat.

"Please, Logan. I need you inside me. _Now_. I can't take it anymore." She beseeched, gritting her teeth.

He fell to his knees.

"Not yet. I want to taste you first." His voice was raw. Liquid and gravel all at once.

He hooked her calf and drug her to the end of the bed, resting the sleek curves of her thighs over his shoulders. He spread them apart slowly. Rogue gasped when she felt his hot breath exhale against her delicate flesh.

"So fucking beautiful..." He whispered, worshipping from heavy lids. He leaned in and ran the tip of his tongue up her slit and swirled it around her most sensitive nub, gently pulling it between his teeth and sucked, massaging her with his tongue and plunged it down her slick folds, thrusting deep inside her, groaning at the taste of her filling his mouth. His dick twitched, jealous, so hard he could bust through a brick wall. She threw her head back and cried out, writhing and bucking in response, lost in sensation. He could feel her close to the brink again as she throbbed against his mouth and forced himself to pull away. Lifting his head, they locked eyes.

He reached out and stroked her with his thumb once again and put it between his lips, and sucked it clean. Rogue's eyes _did_ roll back in her head as she whined. Yes, she was ready. She was soaking wet. A sound like rolling thunder reverberated through his chest and he stood slowly. Towering over her, he carefully pulled down his zipper and pushed his jeans over the curve of his ass, dropping them to the floor, finally freeing his hard on from its prison.

"Holy shit…" she panted, her spunk faltering.

He hovered above her, and searched her face. This was what he'd been afraid of. He had to take this slow. If she wanted this at all.

"Rogue, are you sure you wanna to do this? A woman's first time can be… kinda rough." Logan asked, voice thick and unsteady. Jaw clenched and brows drawn, he imprisoned himself in an iron control. This was about her. And he'd wait forever if that was what she asked of him.

Shock caused words to wedge in her throat as she tried to piece her fragmented, scattered thoughts together. Her dark, earnest eyes sought his, momentarily speechless. Under his steady scrutiny she couldn't think.

All she knew was that this _felt_ right. Him, between her parted thighs, naked on top of her as her body hummed with liquid fire he drew from her with his hands, his mouth, his very _voice_... The apex of their bodies fit like he'd been made just for her, their fingers intertwining like puzzle pieces. Rogue's heartbeat skipped for a minute and fell into the rhythm of his, proving it true. She was sure that he would always keep her safe, protect her, lay down his life for her. No hesitation.

Rogue suddenly saw him with an abrupt clarity, and with a pulse pounding certainty knew that she _was_ in love with him. Undoubtedly. Faced with the reality, he left every fantasy in the dust. _This_ was where she belonged. This was home. _Logan_ was home.

She pulled him closer to her.

"Logan, I want you. _Please."_

She kissed him then, her embrace fierce and tight. He groaned, lingering on her lips awhile, delighting in the taste of her as she offered herself to him. _Only_ him. His blood sang, roaring beneath his veins, and not exactly headed in the direction of his brain. He pushed himself up with one arm, muscles straining as his chest glistened in the golden cavern light, heaving beneath his labored breathing.

He took the base of his cock in his hand and stroked himself, pumping on the way up. He threw his head back and hissed through his teeth, one lone pearl drop coming to it's head. Logan caught it on the tip of his finger and Rogue's eyes drank in the sight, utterly enraptured, curious, and brought it to her mouth, taking it captive with her tongue. Logan moaned, tracing her hot, wet mouth, dipping his fingers in, tingling as she sucked. He tried to steady himself and gain his composure as he gently slid his shafts head up and down the slippery folds of her pussy. Her breathing became uneven as he pressed against her pleasure point.

"Yesss." She gasped.

Her pelvis arched up to meet him. He positioned himself at her opening. Her breath caught as he slowly pushed inside her. He felt her muscles constrict around him, so tight he thought his head would pop off and he'd bust like warm champagne, spilling all of himself into her quaking body. Ridiculously tight… He stilled, panting with restraint, sinews straining as sweat beaded on his forehead with the force of his control. This was all about her.

He waited for her to relax, swallowing past the knot in his throat, hot and suddenly bone dry. He glanced at her for any sign of her objection. Her eyes shimmered as she nodded, urging him on, her lips curved on the verge of a smile. He continued to press forward, just a little bit at a time until he felt the resistance from the barrier of her virtue. She inhaled sharply, squirming beneath him, uncomfortable as her body stretched to accommodate his girth. A tremor touched her lips, her pulse skittering alarmingly. She was swimming through a haze of feelings and desires, his nearness and the reality of the what was she was about to impart to another human being overwhelming her.

Logan showered kisses to her shoulders, her neck, her face, her eyelashes fluttered against his cheek, the look in his eyes almost unbearable in their tenderness. He had to do this now.

Logan's own voice betrayed him, releasing a shuddering groan as he pushed forward in one swift stroke of his hard, strong hips, burying himself to her hilt, shattering her innocence and encompassing himself in her warm, slick, silky depths. His breath came raggedly, rust and salt tingeing the air. Rogue fought a sob as she was torn in half, hanging on to him for dear life, a sheen of sweat highlighting her curves and valleys.

It was all he could do to hold the Wolverine back as black spots danced and bloomed in front of his eyes and he panted, blinded, lost to himself. There was nothing civilized about the things that that had brought out in him.

Logan imprinted on her, the animal deep inside vowing that she was _his_. _No_ _one_ else could touch her. And he'd kill to be sure. His knuckles itched, tears stung his eyes. He'd never felt anything in all his life as powerful as that truth, and it shook him to his very soul.

He blinked until the world came back into focus and he regained some semblance of sanity, his heart breaking that he'd wounded her. Logan covered her mouth with his own, unbearably faintly, begging forgiveness as he tasted her tears on his lips, trying to persuade her to open up to him completely by sheer will, mimicking what he wanted to do to her with his tongue. Gradually, he felt an awakening response inside her, her body unclenching and her breathing evened out, the agony dissipating from her shimmering eyes. Rogue forced herself to focus only on what Logan's mouth was doing now and felt his kiss send the pit of her stomach into a wild swirl, pleasant little jolts raining through her body, sparking a new kind of ache. She was shocked as he struck a vibrant chord within her as he continued to explore her ivory flesh, his only motive for existence to chase her pain away. As he roused her passion, his own grew stronger. Her hips rocked against him.

Slowly, Logan began to pull back, listening to her broken sigh in response and winced as he felt her release his lats and they pieced back to together. Little Rogue had claws of her own... Logan hadn't even realized she'd done it.

His eyes riveted on her. He needed to watch her while he did this. He tucked a platinum streak back from her face, caressing the shadow cast by her cheek with his thumb.

"Don't close your eyes, Marie. I want to see what you're thinking."

She swallowed, her vivid gaze filled with a profound longing in answer for her.

He drew himself almost all of the way back out and then stroked inward again at a leisurely pace. The tiny noise she made in response thrilled him more than he'd thought anything could.

He'd learned long ago how to seduce and pleasure women, but suddenly his experience seemed inadequate. He wanted this to be more than just a good lay. He wanted this to be something that she would always hold on to, always remember. What the hell had she done to him?

He felt the head of his cock nudge against her cervix as their bodies pressed together again. She moaned beneath him once more.

"Mmmmmm..." she purred softly. "Again. _Harder_." She bit her lip.

He stopped moving, almost smirking against his will. "Harder?"

"Yessss..." she pleaded.

He drew himself almost all of the way out of her in one rapid stroke. "Like that?"

She swallowed and let out a sigh that he couldn't help enjoying. Her breasts moved so beautifully when she did that, her nipples teasing him as they rose...

"Or how about like this?" He thrust into her almost violently and watched in astonishment as she arched and cried out.

 _Shit. Did I hurt her?_ Logan went perfectly still, observing her face closely.

"Just. Like. That." She panted.

He smiled with beautiful candor, and melted her defenses away as she surrendered completely to him. He leaned closer and put his hand beneath the concave hollow of her spine, pulling her to him, tingling at his touch.

"You ready?" he whispered.

"Absofuckinlutely."

A moan of ecstasy slipped through his lips at her testimony.

Logan's desire for her overrode everything else. He began thrusting into her, stroking almost all of the way out and then impaling her over and over. With each thrust she cried out, louder and louder. Rogue's eyes were wide with awe, their bodies in exquisite harmony. He wondered if this was how she'd looked before she came the first time. The thought almost sent him over the edge-

 _No,_ he reminded himself. _She goes first._

He picked up the speed of his thrusts and felt her body start to tremble. She was almost there... So close... His own release was building. But she had to have hers first. He wanted to watch her come...

"Logan… I-" Her ability to speak abruptly ended as he freed her and she abandoned herself to the turbulence of his passion, making her soar higher than she ever thought it possible to go. She bucked up to meet him, her cries far away from where she was, wrapping her legs around his, shuddering and spasming around him.

Logan's world exploded. It didn't exist anymore. _He_ didn't exist anymore. There was only Rogue as he burst with liquid fire and was obliterated, and darkness, and they were showered in sparks. Illuminating the only thing that mattered. The reason for his existence.

Rogue.

 **Author's Note:** Is there like a world record for longest sex scene lol? Wow. That took awhile. Not complaining. Ya'lls reviews make it all worth while. Not to mention it was fun. Gimme more, please! You fabulous people, you. :)


	34. A Light in the Dark

Song: watch?v=HUhxs5rsfMA

Logan slid down the embankment, bracing himself with his claws for balance, the river rocks slick with ice, his heart pumping madly, the ferocity of his fear propelling him forward at lightning speed. He sheathed them when he spotted her in the middle of the lake, surrounded by walls of frigid water once more, haloed in flickering flame. Head thrown back, hands spread wide, palms turned heavenward. Wind gently fluffed at her long, wild dark hair. Her feet hovered inches above the ground… his worst nightmare on replay. The sound of the swirling, pulsing water gushed around him, battering his acute hearing.

"ROGUE!" he yelled with a possessive desperation above the din.

Tilting her head to the side, she stole a slanted look at him. She swiveled slowly, mahogany and silver hair billowing around her. A soft and loving curve touched her lips, but she didn't reply. He stared at her intently, brows drawn, arm shielding against the piercing glow that lit his eyes a dazzling, startling shade of green in his ruggedly handsome face.

"Let me go, Logan." her voice echoed in his mind with forced remote dignity.

He lunged forward and she stopped him with a single raised hand. Logan froze, motionless. Caught in her stare. He looked down in a panic, straining against the invisible chains that bound him with every fiber of his being, veins bulging, boots digging into the silt, lips pulled over his sharp white teeth in a snarl.

"AAAGGGHHHHH!"

His claws flew out with a *SKINKT* as he roared his infuriation at the darkening sky. The water started swirling viciously and she closed her eyes, clapping above her head, sending him flying backwards with explosive force as a raw wave of energy hit him in the chest, landing hard on the jagged shore as the water crashed down around her.

"No!"

He rolled to his feet and raced into the freezing cold lake, losing sight of her in the mist, slowed by the current and his metal bones. He dove headfirst over the surge of waves breaking at his waist and swam towards where he'd seen her last as fast as his heavy body could carry him. She'd been so far out…

"MARIE!" he spit briny water, lungs burning, treading in the choppy swells, eyes darting around, searching anxiously. There was no sign of her.

"Son of a bitch." His voice was raw. The Wolverine took a deep gulp of air and went under, semi blind in the murky depths, the cold water pressing in on all sides, dulling his senses. Bubbles floated up over his head, heartbeat roaring in his ears above the tumult. Where the hell was she? This couldn't be happening, not again…

He broke the surface, coughing roughly, flipping back his dark hair and squeezing the water out of his eyes, grimacing as his body started to shake with the chill and inner torment. Damnit, where was she...Come on, come on…

He went under again, his powerful, well muscled body turning in circles with lithe grace, a predatory shadow in the depths. Finding nothing again, his anguish peaked to shatter the last shreds of his control, a raw and primitive grief overwhelming him. He clenched his fists and let loose a fierce primal cry, muffled by the tide. His misery so acute it was a physical pain. And prayed that he could drown in more than just regret…

"Logan…Logan. …LOGAN!"

Logan shot up in bed, breathing hard as he fought through the cobwebs of nightmare filled sleep, his dark eyes dangerous, unseeing, glimmering with reflected light from the pool. …and his claws. Haunted… He shook his head, disoriented and retracted them, and saw Rogue out of the tail of his eye. He inclined his unruly mane, studying her face unhurriedly from beneath two deep lines of worry, feature by feature as his breathing stabilized, nostrils flaring.

He swallowed, amazed by her gentle, overwhelming beauty. The corner of her lips turned upwards more than they turned down, even in her sleep, her sparkling umber eyes hidden beneath the feathered shadow of her lashes. He caressed her cheek with the knuckle of his forehand in a wistful gesture, the flush of her desire subsided, and lightly fingered her loose tendril lightning streak, letting it fall softly behind her shoulder. A wan shaft of golden light illuminated the elegant curve of her neck, revealing a small puncture mark, ringed with red.

Logan clenched his jaw, a heaviness centered in his chest, a sick and fiery gnawing, as he bowed his head and brought his fist to the arch of his brow, eyes squeezed shut, lip curling.

How could this be happening?

"LOGAN."

His head jerked up, disturbed, pissed off and hostile as the echo of his name lashed at him.

The Professor…

 **Author's Note: See what happens when I get feedback? I get busy! Lol *mwah* You know what to do… P.S. What would ya'll like to see in this story? I have a plan, but I'm having too much fun playing with them. So gimme your ideas! Please & thank you. ****J**


	35. Feel

Song: watch?v=l4wDSYNjJdQ

Rogue aroused herself from the blissful numbness that weighed her down, Logan's name lingering around the edges of her subconscious in the black stillness of her mind. With a shiver of vivid recollection, the memory of his bruising kiss came back and she felt the thrill of being held against his strong body again as together they found a tempo that bound them together, and they intertwined in a haven of divine delirium, souls catching fire as they danced in the shadows.

Her passion consumed her in desire. Her vow to let him go was shattered. She still craved his touch. She wanted to yield to the burning sweetness that was captive within her. The dormant sexuality of her body had been awakened. She'd waited too long. Far too long…

She was done being afraid. She reached out for him.

Pensively, she looked out into the darkness. She hurtled back to earth as reality struck. Her glowing youthful happiness faded, the spark of hope quickly extinguished. It was senselessly and sickeningly familiar, leaving her with an inexplicable feeling of emptiness. Logan had sliced open a newly healed wound…

He wasn't there.

She could feel her throat closing up and she bit her lip til it throbbed like her pulse. Tears glistened on her pale heart shaped face and she closed her eyes, feeling utterly miserable. She couldn't bring herself to bear the echo of her desperation if she called out to him or the silent reminder of the truth she'd begged him for that would follow. Stunned and sickened, she looked up, her face burning with humiliation.

Where he had been merely filling a moment of physical desire, she'd allowed him to tear apart her body and soul.

Some things were better left the hell alone…

If only she'd listened.

 **Author's Note:** Review? Yes, please! I haven't abandoned this story, I just got a promotion at work. So more hours, but if you give me reviews, I'll try harder to post more! Promise. J


	36. The Box

Song: watch?v=a4fwTtNx750

Logan made his way through the dimly lit corridors, nodding to a few people as he went, moving easily but impatiently, eager to get back to Rogue. She'd had a long ass day, he figured she could use some sleep. But he'd had nothing to leave her to explain away his absence if she woke. He was an asshole, but he wasn't THAT big a dick to take her virginity and just up and disappear. He didn't have much experience in the matter, his tastes usually running towards a little more… seasoned women, but he assumed that that would not be a pleasant way to wake up after giving the deepest part of herself to him. Whatever this was, it had better be fuckin' life or death…

The raucous sounds of laughter and snatches of song filled the night air as kids took full advantage of kicking off their weekend. How long had they been down in that cavern? Hours it seemed. Not nearly long enough… What the hell did Chuck want that was so damn important that he had to violate Logan's mind in the middle of the night? Not that he minded being pulled away from that particular dream, but still… a guy had rights.

Professor Xavier replaced the receiver with a whoop and shuffled through the papers on his desk impatiently. Looking up as Logan approached, he quite openly studied him as he paused just inside the door, his profile dark against the warm glow from the hall at his back, and leaned against the frame, face impassive. Charles smiled without humor.

"Ah, Logan. Thank you for finally joining us." He announced in boarding-school English, his greeting containing a strong suggestion of reproach.

"Who's the furball?" Logan answered, cocking his head towards the big furry blue giant taking up real estate in the middle of the office.

"Hank McCoy. Secretary of Mutant Affairs." His chest puffed up as he introduced himself. The very way the man stood spoke of the pride he took in his position. Logan half expected him to beat on it.

He noted the Professor's set face, clamped mouth and fixed brilliant blue eyes, displaying an uncanny awareness that never failed to severely unnerve him. With a deliberately casual movement, he smirked and redirected his annoyance towards the burly blue stranger. With a curt nod he strolled into the office and shoved his hands deep into his pockets, not in the mood to extend one in bullshit pleasantries. He had better places to be.

"Right, right. The Secretary. Nice suit." He mused softly, mockingly.

"Henry, this is-"

"Wolverine. I hear you're quite the animal." Hank answered with a facile tongue as he scrutinized him from behind small square glasses with the air of superiority and conviction.

Logan crossed his steel chorded arms over his chest, eyebrow raising a fraction in amused contempt at the audacity of this fuzzy blue monkey in a suit staring down his nose at him.

"Look who's talking." There was defiance in his gravelly tone as well as subtle challenge, knuckles aching to cut the smug son of a bitch down to size.

Hank's tall black clad figure stiffened, meeting Logan's accusing glare without flinching. Logan flashed him a feral grin, eyes suddenly filled with a fierce sparkling. He'd struck a nerve. The Wolverine inside paced with restless agitation. Part of him begged for the furball to make a move. It'd been too long since he'd had a good fight and he was itching for it. Something deep and vicious and primal _howling_ to be turned loose…

After a long pause during which Logan waited and the Secretary waged an inner battled for self control, Hank forced his lips to part in a sharp toothed smile, pretending not to understand the meaning behind Logan's words. For the sake of diplomacy…

The Wolverine found a perverse pleasure in this as triumph flooded through him. The Professor sighed loudly, in no mood to be referee to the pissing contest.

"Hank is here about our friend Rogue."

Logan was caught off guard by the sudden vibrancy of the Professor's irritation at the unwelcome primeval display and turned, not missing his emphasis on the word _friend_.

"Ah, yes. Right you are, Charles."

Hank pointedly turned his back on Logan, reaching inside his coat pocket and produced what Logan thought at first to be a large metal flask, and strode over to the Professor's desk, placing it down in front of him. Chuck inspected the box and picked it up, turning it over in his hands.

"Is this what we discussed?"

"Yes. Far more powerful." Hank spoke with the calculating precision that only a man who was comfortable spending his weekends in a lab coat and never getting laid possibly could. The fine hair on the back of Logan's neck bristled.

"Good, good." Charles nodded, eyes narrow beneath dark drawn brows.

"…You're sure you want to do this?"

The furry dude's suggestion and obvious hesitation intrigued Logan as he listened with rising irritation. The Professor spread his hands regretfully and gave the slightest shrug, "If there was any other way..." he shook his head for lack of any other explanation.

"What the hell is it?" Logan growled, growing hot under the collar at all the damn suspense.

Xavier sighed again, smiling benignly as if he was dealing with a temperamental child, his expression suddenly one of pained tolerance and borderline disappointment.

"Our lives. That I'm leaving in your hands."

"God help us all." Beast muttered, staring down as he fit his thick, clawed fingers together at his waist.

Logan's gaze lowered in confusion.

 _What's in the box…?_

 **Author's Note:** What can I say? You fabulous people inspire me. Trying to get as much out as I can while the weather's bad & no one wants to buy a house lol. More reviews, please!


	37. Under My Skin

Song: watch?v=al5LruvguqI

Rogue reached out, fingers tenderly tracing over the metal blade, cool and sleek, sharp and reassuring. She felt her skin prickle and the heavy ache of fire flicker in her belly, as it licked and inched through her veins, a tick at her cheek. Breath hitching, breasts straining, nose flared, surrounded by the scent of arousal. His. Hers. Theirs. And leather and fire and rain. Her throat tightened as she withdrew quickly and turned, reveling in the loaded weight of the daggers in her palms.

She crouched and cast her eyes downward, hair spilling in reckless waves over her tense bare shoulders, supple muscles straining as she fought the quiver of anticipation and her stomach dropped. She lifted her arms and crossed them protectively over her chest as she fought to center herself, mind reeling. She felt the first brave drop fall and slip down her spine, sliding beneath the black leather like a lover's touch and heard the sizzle and acrid smoke filled her nostrils. Rogue savagely banished the thought and held herself steady. She stretched her arms out to her sides and drew a deep breath through the all encompassing urge to scream, channeling it, and the rain started to fall in earnest.

"He'll never love you."

Opening her eyes, Marie's head flew up and she became instantly awake, fully aware of her surroundings as she spun, flipping the daggers out from the crooks of her elbows and lunged, slashing through the red, eyes blazing brighter than the pillars of candles at their feet.

Jean smiled, soft and sly as a fox as she used telekinesis to bury the twelve inch daggers deeper in her heart. Rogue took short, sharp breaths through her teeth, lip curled as the older woman's eyes turned a startling shade of yellow. Her skin shifted and morphed, twisting and contorting. Into Bobby.

"Bad time to say I told you so?" there was a pale blue lightning of amusement between his lashes, his mouth quirked in icy contempt, dark sweater clinging to his impaled chest, moving up and down as his cruel laugh parried her assault.

She was too startled by the suggestion to offer any objection. He grabbed her wrists, grip fierce and tight, bruising and froze them there. He leaned forward and lowered his voice.

"Or would that be cold hearted?" A bright mockery invaded his stare, lips thin, words raking over her like talons.

Rogue tried desperately to yank herself free but her slippery hands were frozen to the hilt. She grit her teeth, grimacing as her heart pounded and her adrenaline spiked.

"Or is it really me that you want dead?"

The daggers clattered to Kitty's feet as Rogue stumbled back from the force of her retreat and Kitty shot her a penetrating look as she rose, the mirror of her wide eyed innocence merely a smoke screen, before she vanished into thin air.

Rogue twisted where she stood, shock of wet white hair flinging around her face and heard a deep jovial laugh echoing around her in the dark, making the fine hair on her dripping arms raise, chest heaving beneath the damp fabric, eyes wild as they penetrated the night. She dove for the daggers and rolled to her feet, graceful, despite her transience, eyes reaching into the dark as she poised and waited.

"Tsk tsk tsk. Silly girl. Metal as your weapon? Against _me_?"

Rogue flew back into the wall, head cracking against the concrete and saw dots blot out her vision, efficiently disarmed as candles scattered at her feet. It took several seconds for her eyes to adjust and for the anger to burn away the lingering haze enough for her to focus. She saw two blurry flashes of yellow about six feet high off the ground. She blinked the water back from her eyes.

She could feel his sharp stare boring into her, appraising her lazily as he sauntered closer through the mist, every move screaming predator. She stiffened, her breath caught painfully in her lungs.

"You like to play with knives, Marie? I've got a few I can share." he drawled, a hint of censure in his tone as his claws made a distinct piercing sound, cutting through the last of her disorientation, making a shiver roll down her spine and her stomach churn.

Rogue clenched her mouth tighter and turned her head away without offering a response.

The corner of his mouth twisted upward in more of a snarl than a smile.

"Did you ever think this is why I never wanted you? Because you're too _weak_ to handle it like a damn grown up? Look at you… Poor little lost girl, can't survive without _me_ to validate her existence. I bet you cried when you woke up alone, huh? You're just so damn _needy_. Trying to trap someone like me with a one night stand. A literal fucking _death_ trap. What did you think you could give me that I couldn't get from a hundred other women, elsewhere? And _survive_ to see the morning?"

From lowered lids she shot him a commanding look and his glare burned through her, eyes darkening as he held her gaze across a sudden ringing silence. The only sound the thunder of her heartbeat, uneven breathing and the rain as it struck the landscape.

She flexed her forearm, clenching her fist around the blade of the dagger hidden in the shadow of her thigh and slowly inched it closer, shielding it at her side. His eyes flashed in a familiar display of impatience.

She used the impression of needing to steady herself with her weapon hand at her back as she straightened and Logan cocked his head, looking menacing with his hair plastered to his face and skull. His eyebrows flickered a little.

All of Marie's bitterness, loneliness, and confusion welded together in one upsurge of victorious ferocity as she flung the dagger at his smug face and closed the minimal distance between them, not waiting to see him catch it with ease, and wheeled into a roundhouse, knocking the dagger back out of his hands as he ducked back laughing. She used the velocity of her kick to carry her all the way around, picking it up as her body spiraled and swiped it across his chest with lethal accuracy as her body completed the circle. The Wolverine vanished and her blow slashed through nothing but rain.

"Nice moves, kid."

Rogue didn't hesitate, she drove the dagger back behind her and straight beneath Logan's ribs, shaking with fury. She looked back over her shoulder, heaving.

"Mmmpf! Rrrrggghh. _Ow_. Holy shit… ok. I guess I deserved that. Argh. _Geez_ , Rogue."

Logan's broad face carved in pain. He grit his teeth and slowly removed the offending piece of metal, exhaling in a ragged guff and dropped it, his blood staining the ground.

"That. Is not... _Foreplay_."

"SIMULATION COMPLETE."

 **Author's Note:** I hope this chapter did not make you as angry as it made me lol. Feel free to tell me if it did. Or, if it didn't. Either way, ya'll are, as always, fabulous! *mwah!*


End file.
